Local Authorities are often seen as a soft target by both experienced and opportunist fraudsters. Many Local Authorities have reported an increase in fraudulent insurance claims in recent years. According to research undertaken by Zurich Municipal fraudulent claims brought against Local Authorities are a real issue for the majority of Local Authorities, one quarter of them believe that more than 20% of their claims are fraudulent and 38% of them expect the problem to continue to grow.
Contrary to public belief fraudulent claims against Local Authorities are not a victimless crime. The cost of these claims divert vital funding away from much needed frontline services and consequently impact on whole communities. We work in partnership with Local Authorities to combat this growing problem.
Our specialist public sector fraud team advise specialists a large number of Local Authorities in relation to fraudulent and exaggerated claims. We conduct a forensic, intelligence lead approach to investigation of individual suspect claims, including a detailed analysis of GP, hospital, ambulance and DSS records. Proofing witnesses can also be crucial. Our robust approach to these claims enable us to exploit the claimants lack of planning and to identify and attack weaknesses in their claim.
We are not only specialists in detecting and defending suspected fraudulent claims but also have extensive experience and an in depth knowledge of dealing with core public sector areas such as highway, public, occupiers' and employers' liability claims which enables us to not only defend claims on the basis that they are suspected to be fraudulent but also to advance technical legal arguments on liability.
