A serial ‘crash-for-cash’ fraudster has prevented jail regardless of plotting to rip-off insurance coverage companies out of a £35,000 fortune.
“Ruthless” Shehzad Saeed, 33, of Redstone Farm Street, Solihull, focused 4 of the largest companies within the nation and risked lives by engineering collisions involving harmless drivers.
The 33-year-old automobile rent boss used pretend names and addresses, together with a few of his personal relations, as he focused a few of Britain’s best-known manufacturers between 2015 and 2017.
On Thursday December 17, 2020 at Birmingham Crown Courtroom, Saeed was sentenced for 5 ‘crash for money’ plots, during which he sought to swindle Direct Line, Aviva, RSA and Allianz.
He was handed a two-year suspended sentence with circumstances together with 240 hours of unpaid work and that he repaid £1,500 in prices, reported CoventryLive.
The dad-of-five used varied names to make insurance coverage claims for accidents in and round Birmingham and registered fraudulent insurance policies to relations’ addresses.
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The investigation was carried out by the Insurance coverage Fraud Enforcement Division (IFED) on the Metropolis of London Police.
Det Con James Rafiq, who led the investigation, mentioned: “Saeed was ruthless and egocentric in his makes an attempt at monetary achieve by way of bogus insurance coverage claims.
“Had he been profitable in his makes an attempt, Saeed would have inflicted a possible lack of over £35,000 to 4 widely-used insurers.
“Losses by way of fraudulent exercise like this are the reason for elevated premiums for law-abiding coverage holders.
“That is one more case which demonstrates insurance coverage fraud isn’t a victimless crime, and we’re happy Saeed has been delivered to justice for his offences.”
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Saeed’s crimes have been uncovered when the Insurance coverage Fraud Bureau (IFB) acquired a tip-off from insurer members in 2016 about suspicious crashes within the West Midlands.
Police found Saeed first reported a pretend street collision on March 5, 2015, when he claimed a Mercedes had crashed into the again of his Ford Focus.
This incident allegedly passed off the day after a seven-day coverage with Aviva was taken out by the Mercedes driver.
It later emerged Saeed used a pretend title to faux to be the Mercedes driver and take out the coverage.
He was rumbled when the handle offered for the Mercedes driver was discovered to be empty. And pictures of the harm to Saeed’s automobile in an engineer’s report dated from two years earlier than the alleged ‘crash’ passed off.
5 days later, one other accident was reported. Saeed used the identical alias, though he was now driving a Volvo XC60, and once more claimed the accident occurred days after a seven-day coverage was taken out with the insurer.
The police investigation found the Volvo had been provided on the market on eBay a day earlier than Saeed took out the coverage, and was listed as already broken within the merchandise description.
Saeed continued to make use of related strategies throughout three additional claims, adopting false names and addresses, forging engineer studies and channelling compensation into his agency’s account.
Stephen Dalton, head of intelligence and investigations on the IFB, mentioned: “Saeed would lure harmless individuals into automobile crashes so he might make fast money on the expense of their misery.
“Because of the collaborative work of the IFB, IFED and the broader insurance coverage business, we have been capable of detect these shameless ‘crash-for-cash’ scams and take motion.
“This sentencing ought to function a transparent message to anybody excited about committing fraud that they are going to be caught and face justice.”