The number of fraud cases reaching courts in the UK rose by 78% last year, as insurance scams increased in value despite a fall in case number, according to KPMG.
The firm’s Fraud Barometer, which records cases of alleged fraud with a value of more than £100,000, found that 453 cases with a total value of £1.2 billion came to court across the UK last year.
Of these, £17 million of alleged insurance fraud appeared in UK courts over 19 cases in 2018, compared to 24 cases with a combined values of £11.9 million in the preceding four years of 2014 to 2017.
Cash for crash, personal injury scams and faked death claims featured multiple times in the list of frauds coming to court, according to KPMG.
One case saw a man who masterminded a £4 million bogus insurance claim scam jailed for nine years. The scam saw the man orchestrating 250 collisions with innocent drivers, mainly on mini-roundabouts, making claims against dozens of insurance companies for fabricated injuries or vehicle damage. The judge was clear in stating that all insurance custome