Burglary victim who boosted his claim forced to repay insurer
A Leeds burglary victim has paid his insurer back £11,000 after police caught the burglar, proving extra items had been claimed because only £500 of the £6,000 stolen cash was covered, the Beverley Guardian reports.
The 58-year-old man, from Beeston, reported the genuine burglary, in which a ring worth £2,000 and £6,000 cash were stolen and £3,000 of damage was caused.
But after discovering his insurance only covered £500 for stolen cash, he claimed a second ring and a watch worth a total of £6,000.
Burglar admitted theft
The police caught the burglar who admitted taking one ring and the cash but denied stealing the additional items.
The homeowner admitted the false claim to West Yorkshire Police. He was forced to hand back £11,000 paid to him by the insurance company and his claim was declared null and void.
The man received a caution and is also now unable to get home insurance.
Inflating insurance claims a crime
Detective Sergeant Mark Bray, of Holbeck CID, said: "Becoming a victim of burglary is far from a pleasant experience for anyone but some people use it as an opportunity to make a few quid back by falsely adding a few items of property to their claims, or in this case just rake back any losses not covered by insurance.
"Inflating insurance claims in this way is a crime and if you're found out you risk going to prison, so it doesn't just drive up insurance premiums for the rest of us.
"Although this wasn't a false report of a crime, the extra work we carried out trying to trace the additional property took officers away from investigating other genuine offences. More often than not we will find out and we will take action against those responsible."
Websites
