| Figures from the Association of British Insurers show | | | | Don't claim to have possessions you don't have, and |
| a 24 per cent increase in insurance fraud over the | | | | accurately assess both the rebuild value of your |
| last two years. As a result several home insurance | | | | home and the value of its contents. Think about |
| providers have increased their in-house fraud and | | | | factors that could potentially influence your premiums |
| claims verification teams. | | | | too and make sure you are honest about them. For |
| For example, esure has boosted its fraud team by a | | | | example, don't claim to have window and door locks |
| third. Its new recruits will be trained in specialist | | | | or a burglar alarm if you don't really have them - |
| detection techniques including cognitive interviewing | | | | doing so will invalidate a claim if a burglary takes |
| designed to reveal inconsistencies in fabricated stories | | | | place. |
| and tell-tale inaccuracies. The insurer is also using a | | | | To back up a potential claim, take photographs of all |
| voice risk analysis technology that detects a minor | | | | of the items you own and keep an inventory with |
| change in someone's voice due to stress. | | | | receipts. |
| However, while the crackdown on fraud is to be | | | | What to do after an insured event |
| welcomed, it does place increased pressure on | | | | When the insured event occurs, contact your |
| legitimate claimants who are naturally stressed as a | | | | provider as soon as possible. It will ask for details |
| result of an insured event. So how can you make | | | | over the phone and will usually send out a claims |
| sure that a home insurance claim runs smoothly? | | | | form too. Again, be completely honest. |
| Why honesty is the best policy | | | | Don't attempt to move, repair or replace any |
| In theory you should have nothing to worry about as | | | | damaged items without the insurer's say so. It may |
| long as you are completely honest and upfront with | | | | want to send out a loss adjustor to assess the value |
| your insurer. However, that doesn't just mean being | | | | of your home contents and the damage that has |
| truthful at the time of making an insurance claim - it | | | | taken place so leave things as they are unless |
| means being honest from the moment you take a | | | | otherwise instructed. |
| policy out. | | | | |