Crime Solicitors

The Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Harriett Baldwin, and Minster of State for Justice, Lord Faulks, have welcomed a series of recommendations to tackle insurance fraud.

The IFT (Insurance Fraud Taskforce) has put forward measures that will help tackle insurance fraud and reduce costs for consumers.

The final recommendations of the IFT will tackle fraudulent activity, ranging from organised or premeditated crime to opportunistic fraud.

The recommendations aim to improve consumer trust in the insurance sector – and raise the public profile of insurance fraud as a criminal activity.

The measures will also encourage greater use of data sharing and collaboration between the insurance sector and regulatory bodies, to better prevent organised insurance fraud.

The IFT recommendations also reflect and support the government’s intention to clamp down on unnecessary whiplash claims – which are a major source of fraud – and strengthen the regulation of claims management companies.

The Economic Secretary welcomed the recommendations while speaking at the British Insurance Brokers Association’s Parliamentary Reception. Harriett Baldwin said:

“A key part of our long-term plan is to make sure that the insurance industry works for consumers. That’s why we launched the Insurance Fraud Taskforce in January 2015 to tackle insurance fraud.

“After a year of valuable research and groundbreaking dialogue, I welcome the recommendations that have been published today.

“These recommendations will galvanise our collective efforts to tackle insurance fraud – and will ultimately reduce costs for consumers.

Justice Minister Lord Faulks added:

“Fraudulent and exaggerated claims force up the costs of insurance premiums for everyone – and we must take steps to tackle this.

“I welcome this report by the taskforce, which makes wide-ranging recommendations to help combat insurance fraud.

“Many people contributed to this – and I am particularly pleased that a Personal Injury Working Group was established to capture the expertise of both claimant and defendant practitioners.

“As the report notes, the government has already brought forward significant reforms to the way in which claims are dealt with – and we will continue to take more action to drive down premiums for hard working people.”

The IFT has said that insurance fraud is not always recognised as criminal activity – and it is therefore vital that the insurance sector takes steps to curb a culture of distrust trust towards the industry and a lack of popular understanding of how insurance works.

The IFT recommends making application and claims forms easier to understand, as well as launching new anti-fraud campaigns.

To ensure these goals are achieved, the IFT has also suggested that the government establishes a legacy vehicle to oversee the implementation of its recommendations and maintain dialogue between different sectors regarding insurance fraud.

Duncan Lewis Fraud Lawyers

Duncan Lewis fraud lawyers can advise at any stage of a charge involving fraud, including:

• Benefit fraud
• Business fraud
• Company fraud
• Credit card fraud
• Housing fraud
• Identity fraud
• Insurance fraud
• Investment fraud
• Online fraud
• Motor insurance fraud
• White collar crime.


There are Duncan Lewis offices nationwide and a criminal defence lawyer can usually reach a police station within an hour for interview under caution.

Duncan Lewis can also attend interviews with investigating authorities such as SFO, FCA, HMRC, Border Force, BIS, Insolvency Service, DWP, local authority fraud teams and City of London Police.

For expert legal advice on fraud charges, call Duncan Lewis fraud lawyers on 0333 72 409.

For 24/7 help at a police station, call the Duncan Lewis 24-Hour Emergency Helpline on 0333 772 0607.