The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) have lashed out at insurers over figures released by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) that suggest that fraud numbers have reached a record high, claiming that they have taken a ‘cheaper to pay than investigate’ mentality on their research.
The figures, released by the ABI, revealed that the value of insurance fraud has risen to £1.3bn in 2013 which is 18% higher than the previous year and an all time high. APIL have hit back though, claiming that the insurance industry has the key to tackling fraud in their own hands.
A spokesman for APIL said: “Insurers have the answer to stopping fraudulent claim at their own fingertips and are responsible for offering compensation before any proof of injury is obtained.
“The public want a fair system where injured people get adequate compensation and medical evidence is required to prove the injury. The insurers must end their ‘cheaper to pay than investigate’ mentality.”
However, the ABI obviously see things differently and are using their findings, which state that that 118,599 bogus or exaggerated claims were detected, to attempt to sway the government to enforce more reform upon the personal injury claims profession.
Head of Fraud for the ABI, Aiden Kerr said: “The message is clear, ever has it been harder to get away with committing insurance fraud, never have the penalties, ranging from a custodial sentence and a criminal record, to difficulties in obtaining financial products in the future, been so severe.”
This certainly won’t be the last we see of these figures, as the ABI look to continue their, propaganda laden, campaign to ensure that further reform is enforced on an already battered personal injury profession.
Image source(s)
1. APIL; https://www.apil.org.uk/