On the Fiddle?

Most cases of Insurance fraud are identified before a claim is paid out, however recent estimates published say that three to five percent is paid out on claims which are later identified to be fraudulent.

That said, insurance fraud is oppurtunist by nature, and so some claims go undetected.

The industry is working hard to address these issues.By monitoring and analysing fraudulent claims and using this knowledge to strengthen their methods of detecting fraud. This approach ensures that the industry is constantly finding new and improved ways to tackle fraud.

However, in these difficult economic times, fraud is more likely to occur owing to increased finacial pressures. One particular area of concern is known as 'Fronting'. Fronting occurs when the main driver of a vehicle is incorrectly stated by the policyholder when taking out a motor policy in order to achieve a lower premium.

Research was commissioned looking at how motorists viewed the practise of 'fronting'. Several couldn't define the practise and one in five young motorists admitted to previously, or currently, using a 'fronted' insurance policy.

The activity aimed to highlight to consumers that by providing misleading information, motorists are committing insurance fraud, which could invalidate a policy, leaving them exposed to additional costs, and potentially footing the bill, if they are involved in a accident.

The research also indicated a disconnect between drivers' perceptions of fronting as a 'white lie' versus the reality of it as a legal offence.

There was also some confusion over responsibility for damages in the event of an accident. A third (31%) of drivers wrongly assume that they will be covered if the policy is 'fronted', where in fact, if proven, insurers can refuse to pay for damage to the "insured" vehicle and may
look to recover third party claim costs from the policyholder, driver or both.

So, when giving information regarding your insurance be accurate and don't fib as you may be found out and it cost you 'big time'.

Sun, Sea, Sand and erm... Insurance

So imagine you are sitting on the edge of your sunbed, leaning over your beloved with the suncream in hand thinking to yourself, "How luck am I?" I would pay for this job" when in the corner of your eye you see a fellow holiday maker is carried past on a stretcher clutching their head. "Well thats knackered their holiday up" you think - But what should be going through your mind is "I am glad I took out that Travel Insurance".

Amazingly many people still don't bother with insurance for themselves, their families and loved ones when going on holiday. The cost can be surprisingly affordable especially when you consider the probable expenses that can be racked up if you are unfortunate enough to have a mishap.

I can speak from personal experience as to how things can get out of hand when a "holiday goes bad". We spent 2 weeks in the South of France .I know what you are thinking "flash git", but alas not. It was in a tent shared with many of God's creatures including very large spiders and the odd (sometimes very odd!) reptile.

So, we made our way back by train to remote French station just short of our Gare du nord, unfortunately an incident further up the line created a log jam effect. We didn't fret initially as we had plenty of time make our connection on the Eurostar. The carriage got hotter and hotter, the delay got longer and longer.

When we finally arrived at the station we had to break the Olympic 800 metres record to get to the Eurostar terminal only to arrive just in time to see the train being waved off, Bugger.

We managed to talk our way on to the last train back to U.K despite being initially told to wait until tomorrow. So I finally started to unwind, and sat on train thinking about how it could've been a lot worse. Little did I know what was in store!

As we approached our station in Kent we gathered our belongings and waited for the train to stop- we were still waiting 60 miles up the line! I had contemplated pulling the emergency cord and doing a runner but thought better of it. We managed to get a taxi back to the correct station over an hour away. Hoorah arrived at the station.

We had arrived at station to pick up our car and get home in one piece albeit somewhat later than expected. Except the car park entrance is locked up for the night. By now my partner and the kids had almost gone into meltdown so we had to get to a hotel for the night and get car in the morning and head home.

How i didn't cry i don't know but nevertheless we came back the next day and went home some 24 hours late. At least I knew that I'd be able to recover my expenses on the Insurance that I had not forgotten to take out.

Food at Gare du Nord - £40
Taxi fare - £65
Hotel Rooms for 1 night - £180
Travel Insurance - PRICELESS

So take heed of my little adventure and remember that things do go disastrously wrong and you can give yourself peace of mind get an instant Travel Insurance Quote now. Its a false economy not to have any Insurance and could cost you a great deal of money.