More than 4m Brits consider fraudulent home insurance claims

One in 10 recession-hit Brits – some 4.3 million people – would consider making a false home insurance claim, latest research reveals.

But an estimated 1.5 million people would consider making a fraudulent claim, or have already done so, regardless of the economic climate, according to a MoneySupermarket poll.

Almost 780,000 people have already defrauded their home insurer by successfully making a false insurance claim in the last five years, the survey shows.

People in the North East and North West are most likely to make a false claim, but residents in the South East are the least likely to do so, the research indicates.

In addition, males are more likely to make a fraudulent claim than females, while people under the age of 35 are more likely to act dishonestly compared with those aged 45-plus, the comparison site’s study of 2,300 people suggests.

Peter Harrison, insurance expert at MoneySupermarket, said: “With recent news the UK has slipped into a double-dip recession, household finances will undoubtedly be stretched, but no matter how tempting, fabricating a claim for a payout is illegal and you could face being prosecuted as a result.”

Insurance companies take fraud very seriously, no matter how big or small the amount being claimed.

If insurers are suspicious of a claim’s validity it will be investigated with specialist detection processes and anti-fraud technology.

Anyone caught and found guilty of insurance fraud would find it extremely difficult to get insurance cover in the future, or would have to pay much higher premiums, Mr Harrison added.