He says: “We have voided well over 1,000 motor insurance policies this year with a combined premium value of around £700,000 due to known fraud including ghost broking.
“Ghost broking involves an unauthorised intermediary setting themselves up to target unsuspecting and / or vulnerable groups of people by offering them cheap insurance that they otherwise would not be able to obtain. The cover is arranged using a host of inaccurate personal details and paying for the cover using compromised or stolen payment information, such as credit cards.
“We have worked closely with our insurers and the Insurance Fraud Bureau and we know that this has been successful in identifying and closing down ghost broking rings, which are often very convincing and sometimes with their own websites. Unfortunately, these people prey on people who don’t know how the insurance system works or are unable or can’t afford to obtain car insurance through legitimate sources.
“Our message is, if a policy seems too good to be true, it probably is. The consequences can be that you become a victim of crime and what’s more, you risk prosecution for driving without insurance, by which time the ghost broker will have simply faded through the brickwork and disappeared into the ether.”
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