Aviva, operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada, says it has detected 39 per cent more instances of fraud in 2023 when compared to 2022 figures, thanks in part to its investment in the number of employees dedicated to investigating fraud (the company has doubled this workforce) and continued investment in its detection capabilities.

They say fraudulent claims for motor vehicle damage rose by 123 per cent during the year and motor injury fraud rose 19 per cent. “Motor fraud accounts for 66 per cent of all detected fraud,” they write. “Motor policy application fraud (was) up 64 per cent to 51,000 fraudulent motor policies avoided.” 

The company says the 39 per cent increase in the number of claims declined as a result of fraud in 2023 works out to about 30 bogus claims a day. “Aviva is investigating a further 13,100 claims for suspected fraud,” they add.

Opportunistic claims 

“A large proportion of the injury claims Aviva declined for fraud are opportunistic claims brought by third parties (not Aviva customers) – for example, an exaggerated injury claim stemming from a low-speed accident,” they state. “Aviva defended more than 400 such fraudulent or exaggerated bodily injury claims at trial to limit the impact that these claims can have on customer’s motor premiums. Fraudulent claims for motor damage skyrocketed 123 per cent as third parties sought to exaggerate and inflate the cost of repair and credit hire claims.” 

The insurer says liability – slips and trips – is the next largest area for fraudulent claims, representing 23 per cent of all fraudulent claims detected by the insurers. Household fraud, meanwhile, primarily comprised of claims for valuable items, accounted for six per cent of fraud detected by the company.