AXA is to pursue fraudulent personal injury claims through the courts after successfully recovering legal and administration costs from a deceptive claimant.
David Fisher, liability claims manager, said it was the first time in which AXA had attempted to prosecute a fraudster, and further cases would follow.
He said: "Last week we succeeded at a determination hearing, and we were able to recover our administration costs.
"The man claimed to have been injured at work, but the medical records showed no evidence of what he was claiming for."
AXA notified claimant lawyers about its suspicions and opted to pursue it through the courts, whereas previously it would only have refused to pay up. Fisher declared that it was time for insurers to "fight back".
The insurer recovered more than £3,000 in legal and administration costs. It is understood AXA will seek to prosecute other fraudsters with low value claims.
He added: "We have another prosecution on the way and there are already some other insurers seeking exemplary fraudsters to prosecute."
"There are so many of these cases that it time for insurers to no longer be seen as the easy target."
