Bogus claims at Aviva hit £85m

A MAJOR insurer detected more than £230,000 worth of fraudulent claims every day last year.

Aviva saw a 9.5 per cent year-on-year jump in the number of bogus claims in 2016, and declined one in ten whiplash claims for proven or suspected fraud.

The firm said it found more than £ 5million worth of insurance fraud last year, around £232,000 each day. Injury frauds such as fake whiplash claims account for 59 per cent of cases it identifies.

Aviva’s Tom Gardiner said there is an ‘urgent need for fundamental reform of how minor personal injuries are compensated … the growing number of these scams is putting pressure on premiums’.

A growing trend in bogus household claims stems from fraudsters purchasing dozens of home insurance policies using aliases. Aviva said it detects more than six of these scams every month.