Insurance fraud hotline is buzzing

ALMOST 300 people have reported bogus insurance claims to a hotline in its first month of operation.

Calls to Insurance Confidential hotline have come from friends, relatives, neighbours, customers and employers, according to the Irish Insurance Federation (IIF),

“We are delighted with the response, which shows a real public desire for action against fraudulent claimants,” said spokesman Martin Long. “We were warned that it wouldn’t work without some form of a reward, but people are obviously aware that insurance fraud is costing everybody.” The IIF set up the hotline last month to cut the 100m cost of fraudulent insurance claims. Sixty-four per cent of the calls were about fraudulent motor claims and 22% related to fraudulent claims under employer and public liability insurance. Two thirds of the callers to the Insurance Confidential Hotline were male.