Trade and public bodies are working together to understand and
fight motor fraud, delegates heard at today’s Automotive Financial
Crime Conference in Coventry hosted by the Finance & Leasing
Association (FLA).
Representatives from the FLA, Driver and Vehicle Licensing
Agency (DVLA), the Insurance Fraud Bureau, the police and others
spent the day discussing closer co-operation and how to win the war
against fraudsters.
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As FLA spokesman Russell Hamblin-Boone was leaving the event he
spoke exclusively to Motor Finance about the day’s
proceedings.
He said: “Today was about how we are bringing together the
various current projects and initiatives, and the intelligence that
we are gathering through these initiatives, and how we are
disrupting crime.
“When it comes to motor finance, we are sharing more
information. For example, the FLA Vehicle Fraud Unit and the DVLA
are working on identifying fake driving licences and registration
documents, while the Insurance Fraud Bureau is working to identify
people making fraudulent claims.
“We are now forming a picture of fraudulent activity which is
often connected. The police today told us, for instance, that if a
car is sub-hired, the chances are that it will lead to further
criminal activities, such as using false driving licenses and
crash-for-cash scams. There is organised inter-related criminal
activity going on with professional criminals who know how to work
the system.
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By GlobalData“By bringing together anti-crime initiatives we see patterns
emerging and we can build up a picture to see how the criminal
activity is feeding itself.
“Last month the Vehicle Fraud Unit identified 29 fraudulent cars
as part of a targeted operation saving £500,000. And last year we
detected 815 frauds saving £13m. What we are achieving together is
very significant, albeit with small targeted teams, and it shows
what can be done by pulling together. We are driving fraud
down.”
An interview with DCI Mark Hooper of the ACPO Vehicle Crime
Intelligence Service will be published in
April’s issue of Motor Finance
magazine.
