Ghost Brokering — London, England

Amount: $450,000

A man from London, England has been jailed for three years and eight months after he made more than $450,000 (£321,000) from selling fake auto policies and filing claims for fake car crashes. The investigation into his wrongdoing was conducted by the insurance fraud enforcement supported by the Insurance Fraud Bureau. The crime was deemed to be so egregious because it left unsuspected drivers at risk as they were completely unaware that they were driving illegally. 18 false insurance claims were filed and 21 bogus insurance policies were sold by the fraudster. When an “insurer” sells fake insurance policies to unsuspecting clients, it is called “Ghost Brokering”. Ghost Brokering does not only cause injury to the client who believed he was insured but was not, it also harms the insurance industry, causing premium costs to rise for insureds throughout the region. The fraudster told his victims that they were receiving a steal of a deal, when he would truly lie about their location claiming they came from a location with lower premiums. He doctored the policies so his victims would not notice any discrepancies. He would steal his client's money by incorporating a finder's fee for the cheaper policy, and by charging more money for the policy than it cost him in actuality. In addition, he filed false motor insurance claims using details stolen from his already defrauded clients. He falsified evidence of bodily injuries suffered in the “accidents” as well as inflated hire charges and falsified engineer reports all in order to get the biggest payout from the insurance company as possible. He was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation.