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06 August 2021 / Veronica Cowan
Issue: 7944 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Online insurance fraud—role of lawyers

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Veronica Cowan reports on lawyers who turn detective to investigate fraud claims
  • Online processing of insurance claims has increased the scope for fraud.
  • Law firms are playing a role in fraud investigation.

As more insurance claims are dealt with online, the scope for fraud must surely increase. For example, a motor claimant involved in a smash and crash type claim must find it easier to file a false image of car damage or of the terrain of a supposed crash with a web cam than with original documentation. And it’s not just motor vehicles, as household and business premises’ fire and flood claims can be fabricated in several creative ways. And that’s before one even considers complex commercial insurance scams. Is there a role for law firms to investigate some of the trickier claims on behalf of insurers, and have they got sufficient technological know-how to perform that role?

Loss adjusting

Traditionally, loss adjusters are appointed by insurance companies to investigate claims. Depending on the size and type of

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Ashurst's Chief Risk Officer joins Walkers

Excello Law—John Osborne

Excello Law—John Osborne

Northern family lawyer John Osborne joins Excello

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

Trio of promotions announced at Kidderminster law firm mfg Solicitors

NEWS
A sole director can conspire with their own company for the purposes of the tort of unlawful means conspiracy, the High Court has ruled in a judgment with potentially wide implications for business disputes
The Court of Appeal has reinforced that domicile depends on intention rather than residence alone, in a significant post-Brexit ruling on cross-border financial remedy claims
The Chancery Division's long history comes to an end this autumn as it is reborn as the Business and Property Division, prompting questions over whether the shake-up is really necessary
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) continues to show that failing to disclose regulatory issues can attract harsher consequences than the original misconduct itself
Rejecting a generous settlement can prove an expensive mistake, as two recent high-profile cases demonstrate
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