Ecclesiastical detected over 130 fraudulent claims in 2022

Ecclesiastical Insurance’s claims team detected over 130 cases of fraudulent activity during 2022, all of which were proven false following investigation.

By investigating the claims and following up with legal proceedings where necessary, the specialist insurer said it was able to save over £1.3m in casualty claims and over £1.5m in property claims.

Ecclesiastical’ s findings build on the Association of British Insurers (ABI) revealing that its members detected 96,000 dishonest insurance claims valued at £1.1bn in 2020 – it stated this was the lowest figure since 2007.

Cost of living

Jeremy Trott, claims director at Ecclesiastical Insurance, said that “insurance fraud is a crime that costs insurance companies – and ultimately customers – billions of pounds each year”.

He continued: “With the ongoing cost of living pressures affecting households and businesses across the country, keeping premiums low is vitally important for our customers – which is why we invest time, money and effort in pursuing false claims and dealing with them in the strongest means possible.

“There is a risk that the economic downturn in the UK will see an increase in fraudulent activity so it is critical that we continue to invest in fraud deterrents to deter fraudsters, detect false claims and take action to help protect our customers.”