Aviva chief executive calls motor insurance fraud a ‘national scandal’

Mark Wilson, the chief executive of Aviva, has said that motor insurance fraud is a ‘national scandal’ and has called for the Government to outlaw the selling of personal data to claims management companies.

Wilson has made his comments as a former employee, Matthew Cooper awaits sentencing for selling personal details of the insurer’s customers.

thisismoney.co.uk has reported that Cooper was sacked by Aviva in 2013 after he was found to have sold details of policyholders that had been involved in an accident to a claims management company.

Aviva had to contact thousands of customers to tell them what happened. It had to write to more customers earlier this year after another employee was caught selling information.

Wilson says that the problem is so large that staff have even been targeted and approached by CMC representatives in company car parks and pubs.

“This is a national scandal,” said Wilson. “The only way to fix this is with Government help. At the moment it is not illegal for firms to buy names and personal information – that’s a disgrace.”

Mark Dugdale