AA official welcomes car insurance fraud taskforce

A new car insurance fraud taskforce will benefit Britons, it has been said.

Car insurance holders will benefit from the establishment of a new specialist taskforce that has been created to reduce instances of fraud in the UK.

That is according to Simon Douglas, insurance director at the AA, who believes that the City of London Police's decision to set up a specialist unit of 35 professionals with the aim of combating dishonest practices in the car day insurance industry.

Fraud is a growing problem in this area and Andrew Hagger of Moneynet commented recently that many Britons are deciding to lie in their annual insurance applications in order to get a cheaper deal.

Indeed, Mr Douglas points out that deception in this arena costs the UK around £16 million every week, which is putting the premiums of honest drivers under ever-increasing pressure.

Therefore, he believes the new team represents a "sound investment" that will "impact on people's appetite to commit insurance fraud in the future".

According to moneysavingexpert, there are a number of legitimate methods to 'tweak' your car insurance application form in order to reduce the premium. For example, insurers take your job title into consideration when formulating your total cost, so it may be worth checking other occupation titles that your job fall into then resubmitting your application.

Meanwhile, Finding the cheapest car insurance policy may not be the best idea for everyone, it has been said.

Drivers should not automatically opt for the cheapest deal when scouring the market for car insurance, an expert has said.

Malcolm Tarling, spokesman for the Association of British Insurers, urged consumers to consider more than just the cost when deciding which annual insurance package is best for them.

Mr Tarling explained that simply signing up for the least expensive breakdown car cover policy can lead to problems in the future, as it may not be suitable for their individual needs.

"Everyone wants the cheapest price, but [it is] important to look [at] what you are buying beforehand," he noted.

A study published earlier this week (July 5th) by online resource My Voucher Codes, established that 24 per cent of people between the age of 17 and 21 admitted to lying when it came to taking out vehicle insurance in order to lower the cost of their premiums.

However, Mr Tarling stated this can be dangerous, as being untruthful can lead to a claim being invalidated.