Man convicted after making £31,000 from fake pet insurance claims

A man has been convicted after fraudulently obtaining more than £31,000 from multiple insurers through dozens fake pet insurance claims.

Robert Daniel Cretu, 40, from Liverpool, pleaded guilty to five fraud charges relating to 30 separate claims following an investigation by the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (Ifed).

Cretu repeatedly took out pet insurance policies before submitting fabricated claims, alleging the insured dogs had died.

In more than 30 cases, he claimed dogs had been startled while being walked, escaped their leads and been fatally struck by vehicles. In other claims, he alleged a dog had chased a seagull from a pier, fallen into the sea and later washed up on a beach.

Investigators also uncovered falsified veterinary records, altered medical histories, cremation paperwork and fabricated bank statements used to support the claims.

Nik Jethwa, detective chief inspector at Ifed, said: “Cretu took advantage of multiple insurers for financial gain at a time that is often distressing for people who have lost a pet.

“Ifed will continue to pursue criminals who seek to abuse the insurance system for personal profit.”

Industry collaboration

The insurers affected included Allianz, Markerstudy Retail, Admiral and Pinnacle.

Cretu was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to 20 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months. The court heard that while he successfully obtained more than £31,000, the total value of attempted fraud was significantly higher.

Jon Radford, head of intelligence, investigations and data services at the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), said Cretu had used records from his own living pet to “create fictional dogs and submit bogus death claims”.

He added that the case showed the importance of insurers sharing intelligence to identify links between apparently separate claims.

Animal Friends Insurance, which acted as lead insurer, said it worked with the IFB, Ifed and other insurers to identify connections between the claims.

The case was also supported by the IFB’s Pet Insurance Working Group, with Matt Crabtree, head of financial crime intelligence and investigations at Allianz UK, saying collaboration across the industry was “vital in tackling organised fraud”.