Fraudster sentenced after fake classic car theft claims made to Aviva

A fraudster has been sentenced for orchestrating a sophisticated high-value classic car insurance fraud. 

Danny Phipps, 32, of Lindridge Cottages in Lamberhurst, was connected to six separate fraudulent Aviva claims between February 2019 and March 2020, in which he insured classic vehicles that he described as being in immaculate condition before reporting the vehicles stolen and lodged substantial claims.

Among the vehicles allegedly stolen was a Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth that Phipps added to a multivehicle policy in January 2019 and fraudulently claimed to have been stolen in Kent on 11 February 2019. 

Phipps submitted documentation indicating a purchase price of £15,000 and prompted Aviva to issue a payout of £14,150 after excess deductions.

In a similar claim on 4 September 2019, Phipps reported the theft of a second Ford Sierra RS Cosworth from London and asserted the vehicle had been bought for £20,000 via bank transfer just weeks prior.

Aviva’s investigation uncovered discrepancies in the submitted images, financial records and ownership documents, including misleading representations of the purchase transaction and a lack of genuine supporting evidence.

The cases against Phipps were subsequently referred to City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (Ifed), which then began to investigate.

During the interviewing process, Phipps answered no comment to all questions put to him.

Carl Mather, special investigations unit manager at Aviva, said: “The audacity of Phipps’ repeated attempts to defraud insurers reveals a brazen disregard for the law and is as shocking as it is disturbing.

“Aviva was the first to detect Phipps’s bogus claims, along with the associated fake and tampered documents he used to support them. We then worked closely with the City of London Police, the Insurance Fraud Bureau and other insurers to uncover the full extent of the scam.

”We have a duty to protect our customers from the harmful effects of fraud, which is why Aviva continues to invest in market-leading fraud detection capabilities.”

Sentence

Phipps was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on 11 August 2025 to 23 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 24 months, for multiple offences involving fraudulent claims made against Aviva and RSA over a 13-month period.

Alongside the suspended sentence, the court set a confiscation timetable for Phipps to repay the money obtained through the fraud.

Nik Jethwa, detective chief inspector at Ifed, said:“Driven purely by greed, Phipps deliberately targeted high-value vehicles to create the illusion of genuine thefts. Thanks to the diligence of our team and the close cooperation from both Aviva and RSA, we were able to expose the pattern and bring this matter to justice.

“This outcome is a testament to the hard work and determination of a wide range of professionals – officers, forensic accountants, insurance investigators and legal experts – whose coordinated efforts were essential in securing this conviction.”