07/09/2018

IFED delivers regional insurance workshops

• The workshops provide insurers with the opportunity to engage with IFED officers on a range of insurance related topics

• Direct Line Group hosted the first in July 2018 and Swinton Group are hosting the next in October 2018

• IFED are encouraging other insurers to get in touch if they're interested in hosting a workshop

The City of London Police's Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) delivered the first in a series of regional engagement workshops in July, with at least three more being planned for the coming months.

IFED are running the workshops to give insurers an added opportunity to engage with officers on a variety of insurance fraud topics, including statement writing for referrals/evidence, internal fraud and the financial aspects of insurance fraud investigations.

As well as engaging with IFED officers, the workshops may also feature presentations from people who have spent time seconded to the unit.

In the most recent workshop – hosted in Leeds by Direct Line Group (DLG) and presented to attendees from multiple insurers* – a DLG insurance fraud intelligence handler spoke about his six month experience in the unit.

Attendees also heard from a barrister at the Citadel Chambers who was seconded to IFED for six months – he presented on insurance fraud in the criminal courts and took part in a Q&A session.

Looking ahead, Swinton Insurance are hosting the next regional workshop in Manchester on 30 October, but the full list of attendees from other insurers is yet to be confirmed.

IFED are encouraging any insurers or brokers in the Manchester or North West area to email colin.jemide@cityoflondon.police.uk if they're interested in attending.

IFED are also asking insurers to get in touch via the aforementioned email address if they're interested in hosting a workshop for their staff and staff from other insurers in the surrounding area.

Prevent adviser for the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) Colin Jemide, who is responsible for organising the engagement workshops, said, 'Continued engagement with the insurance industry is a priority for IFED, and these workshops provide a good opportunity for us to engage with a wide spectrum of insurance staff across the country on several insurance related topics.

'We want to meet face to face with staff from the insurance industry so we can discuss pertinent issues and exchange ideas to improve our collaborative efforts in the fight against insurance fraudsters.

'A big thanks to DLG who hosted us our first engagement workshop and Swinton Insurance who have agreed to host the next. Any other insurers who wish to register their interest in hosting a regional workshop, please do get in touch.'

Mike Brown, head of counter-fraud intelligence, Direct Line Group, said, 'We were delighted to support and host the first IFED SPOC day. Attendance and feedback was extremely positive and highlights the importance of collaborative industry engagement in successfully tackling insurance related fraud.

'Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime, increased industry collaboration can only be a positive step in mitigating risk and ensuring that we protect our innocent customers.'