A total of five men and three women, from across the UK, have today been convicted at Leicester Crown Court for their part in a car insurance fraud scam worth tens of thousands of pounds.
Fraudulent claims were made for damage and injuries from four collisions in Leicester and Birmingham. Out of the four collisions only one was proved to have happened but still the claim made did not reflect the damage.
The investigation began in 2008 when police discovered that Hooman Jaffari, 37- years-old from Leicester, was going to be involved in one of the set up and false collisions.
Enquiries soon lead officers to a fraudulent claims company owned by Jaffari in Birmingham, Accident Experts Limited.
Leicestershire Constabulary worked with an independent collision investigator and it was then that more cracks began to appear. It was found that the damage to the vehicles involved in the four collisions did not reflect the claims made.
Jaffari acted as the intermediary between the supposed claimants and a claims company based in Lancashire, which was unaware of the fraudulent nature of the collisions. Jaffari managed to earn approximately £36,000 in commission through the scam.
In total the defendant’s, including Jaffari, gained nearly £50,000. Without the police investigation and conviction they stood to gain approximately double that.
By March 2010 all eight defendants had been arrested and charged.
Detective Constable Dave Jackson, the investigating officer, said: “This two year investigation was incredibly complex and detailed because of the large number of people involved. Without this investigation the defendants could have gained tens of thousands of pounds worth of compensation.
“Jaffari set up three of the collisions and gained the most from the scam, but all defendants had their part to play.
“I hope that the results of this trial will act as a stern warning to anyone considering taking part in such fraudulent activity, no matter how small your role is you will be caught.
“I would like to thank all officers involved in this case and would also like to thank the UK Border Agency for their help and support during the investigation, which led to today’s convictions.”
Glen Marr, Director of the Insurance Fraud Bureau comments: “This is another successful joint operation in collaboration with law enforcement. Together with the police and our insurer partners, we will continue to find, expose and pursue those criminals. It demonstrates the power of the industry collective and the ability of the industry to work with the police to bring fraudsters to justice.
“The cost of insurance fraud adds on average £44 to every policyholder’s insurance premium annually.”
Jaffari has been remanded into custody and the seven other defendants have been released on bail until sentencing in late May.
Source : IFB Press Release
