Surprise over claim cheats

New research into the sort of people who make fraudulent insurance claims has thrown up some surprising findings.

It found that among those people who admitted making up or exaggerating an insurance claim, there was a definite bias towards male, married professionals who were highly educated, had a mortgage, were in full-time work and were insured up to the gills. In other words, just the sort of people that insurance companies are fighting over themselves to sign up.

"These people are the key customers - the people insurers really want on their books," says the Association of British Insurers, which admits it was taken aback by the findings.

"This group were, if anything, slightly more likely than average to think nothing of inflating an insurance claim - which is pretty worrying for the insurers."

Reasons typically given by these people for making a dishonest claim included: "To get some money back after years of paying out" or "to cover the cost of the excess".

They attempted to justify their actions by saying things like: "Most people do it"; "insurance companies make large profits and can afford it," or "it's like speeding, it's something that everyone does".

The research also found that those under 45 were more likely to have cheated on their insurance. While 6% of people admitted to having exaggerated an insurance claim, this figure rose to 9% for those aged 25-44. And the younger the policyholder, the more receptive they were to the idea of cheating in the future.

Over half - 58% - of those under 35 would not rule out making a fraudulent claim in the future, compared to 30% of those over 65.

When it asked people about what would make them think twice about making a dishonest claim, perhaps not surprisingly the biggest deterrent is the thought of being banned from getting insurance cover. Lower premiums for making no claims was also mentioned.