Briefing: Ifed is taking the fight to travel insurance fraudsters

As millions of people travel abroad each year, travel insurance provides reassurance that support will be available when things go wrong. However, a persistent minority continue to view travel insurance as an opportunity for financial gain through dishonesty.

At the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (Ifed), we take a simple and unequivocal view – insurance fraud is not a victimless crime. Those who seek to profit from deception should expect to face investigation and, where appropriate, prosecution.

Against this backdrop, Ifed launched its dedicated Travel Fraud Intensification Week in May 2026. This coordinated operation brought together law enforcement and industry partners with a clear objective – to identify, investigate and disrupt individuals suspected of committing travel insurance fraud.

The accompanying awareness video, viewed more than 220,000 times, highlighted the strength of partnership working and reinforced a clear message, travel insurance is not an easy target for fraudsters.

Officers carried out coordinated activity across the country, executing warrants, making arrests and seizing evidence as part of efforts to target those seeking to exploit the system.

This included the arrest of an individual suspected of making fraudulent claims for 37 allegedly missed or delayed transport journeys. Another suspect admitted in interview to falsely claiming bereavement to cancel multiple holidays, defrauding an insurer of £22,000.

In a separate case, a further individual was arrested after allegedly claiming to have drowned in Nigeria. However, despite efforts to evade detection, Ifed officers successfully tracked and located him at an address in Birmingham.

A further result from the operation saw a defendant plead guilty to fraud by false representation in relation to a travel insurance claim, supported by fabricated Caribbean medical treatment documents, and to money laundering. The sentencing is now scheduled for 23 June 2026 at Inner London Crown Court.

Cost of dishonesty

Over the past five years, Ifed has received 102 referrals for travel insurance fraud. The insurer-estimated value of these frauds totalled £4,404,334.42, averaging of £44,942.19 per case.

Exaggerated claims, fabricated expenses, staged incidents and dishonest declarations continue to feature among the tactics used.

What is changing, however, is the scale and sophistication of offending. With organised crime groups becoming more connected and internationally focused, the ability to share intelligence rapidly and effectively is critical.

Fraud no longer operates within domestic boundaries – it is transnational, facilitated by technology and global mobility.

In response, Ifed has been strengthening partnerships across the insurance industry, law enforcement and international agencies, with insurance fraud recognised as a significant and evolving threat within the Interpol Strategic Threat Assessment.

This international strategy was presented to global law enforcement, reinforcing the City of London Police’s commitment to international cooperation and underlines the importance of sustained engagement with partners worldwide.

Our work is about protecting the public, through initiatives such as the Travel Fraud Intensification Week, and through ongoing collaboration at both national and international levels we are reinforcing a simple but important principle – insurance is there to support those in need, not to be exploited.

At Ifed, our commitment is clear. Together, industry and law enforcement can ensure that the vast majority of honest travellers remain protected, while those who seek to game the system are identified, disrupted and brought to justice.