DRIVERS are being told to watch out for fraudsters selling fake motor insurance policies over the internet or in person.
The warning has been issued by Detective Chief Inspector Paul Williamson, who heads cyber crime investigation for Warwickshire and West Mercia Police, after hundreds of motorists across the country were conned by the practice known as ‘ghost broking’.
An awareness campaign launched this week, led by the City of London Police, insurance industry and Crimestoppers in a bid to highlight the dangers of buying insurance from unusual sources.
Det Ch Insp Williams said people needed to be aware of the possible consequences should they fall victim to the crime.
“This fraudulent practice has become known as ghost broking because the criminals behind it either fabricate insurance policies or buy insurance policies using fake information and sell them on for profit.
“Such policies are invalid which means the purchaser is driving without insurance and is liable to face the associated consequences.
“These include having their car seized by police, having to pay a fixed penalty notice of £300, picking up the bill for any damage they cause while driving without insurance and then having to pay again for valid insurance.”