According to the Gazette and Essex County Standard, Michael Smith, 47, made a claim that he had been involved in a car accident, and then subsequently reported that a similar vehicle had really been stolen from the vicinity of his home. Both of these incidents occurred within the same day. It was also discovered that Smith had made a second fraudulent insurance claim, this time about a different vehicle.
According to the information provided in the report, Smith made his purchase of a car insurance policy for a Toyota RAV4 with a three-day coverage period under the name of Michael Gold in September of 2019. On the last day of the contract, Smith informed the insurance company that he had been in a collision close to Chelmsford, Essex, which is around 50 kilometers (roughly 30 miles) from his home in Wood Green, which is located in North London.
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Smith stated that the vehicle lost control in the rain and hit a tree before coming to a stop, which resulted in significant damage to the front of the vehicle and left him with a headache and a nosebleed.
On the same day, a vehicle recovery business came and put the automobile into storage after having recovered it from its owner.
After that, Smith changed the terms of another policy he had with Aviva so that it would cover the same Toyota RAV4. Two days later, Smith informed Aviva that the automobile had been taken the night before when it was parked in front of his house. Smith's notification came two days later.
During his conversation with Aviva, Smith verified that he had purchased the vehicle on the same day that he made the change to his insurance policy. However, investigators found that a car auction company previously had a Toyota RAV4 with the same license plate number and a claim filed against it with a different insurance. This information was uncovered by the investigators.
Because the people from the insurance went to the storage location and established that it was the same vehicle, it was determined that the vehicle could not have been stolen from Smith's residence, as he had claimed.
After this, the fraud squad conducted a search warrant at Smith's residence, where they found evidence indicating that the vehicle was registered in Smith's name as well as his alias, Michael Gold.
The authorities found out from the firm who recovered the vehicle that the Toyota RAV4 was corroded and covered in cobwebs when they found it, and that the battery in the vehicle was already dead when they found it.
According to the findings of the inquiry, Smith purchased the vehicle from a salvage auto dealer on the same day that he stated it was engaged in a collision, when the vehicle was already in a damaged condition.
Researchers also revealed that approximately one month beforehand Smith reported that his Mercedes-Benz had been involved in a collision, Smith had updated his Aviva policy to cover a Mercedes-Benz. Smith subsequently stated that the vehicle had been involved in a collision. Smith provided Aviva with a proof of purchase document for the Mercedes-Benz, which was reportedly obtained from the same lettings firm from whom he later claimed to have purchased the Toyota RAV4.
On the other hand, the lettings firm claimed that they had never sold cars and that Smith had forged the receipt that he showed them.
As the investigators dug deeper into the history of the Mercedes, they discovered dashcam evidence that showed the vehicle was engaged in a collision in May of 2019. A salvage car dealer took possession of the vehicle, and Smith ultimately wound up purchasing it.
Following a check with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the detectives came to the conclusion that Smith's driving record had been modified five times.
After some time had passed, Smith was apprehended, and in June, he entered a guilty plea to three counts of fraud by false representation.
In light of the evidence that was given, the Central Criminal Court awarded Smith a sentence of two years in prison with 18 months of his sentence suspended. In addition to that, the judge sentenced him to perform 120 hours of community service and pay a total of £6,318.78 in fees and reparations.
Jubilee Ohwodiasa 1 y
Wow fraud everywhere