New Garda insurance fraud unit welcomed

Insurance reformers welcomed confirmation on Monday that the Government plans to set up a specialist Garda unit to tackle bogus claims.

The Government is due to announce that it is establishing an insurance fraud co-ordination office under the control of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau.

Policyholders who suspect they are the victims of fraudulent claims will be able to report their suspicions direct to the new office without going through their insurers.

Eoin McCambridge, managing director of McCambridge’s restaurant and food store, a director of the Alliance for Insurance Reform, said the organisation had been seeking the specialised Garda unit for some time.

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“It marks a major step in the battle against insurance fraud, formalising as it does a structured and streamlined approach by the gardaí,” he added.

Mr McCambridge predicted the move would help deter anyone considering making a fictitious or exaggerated insurance claim.

Office

Peter Boland, Alliance director, said establishing the office would be the first move in eradicating insurance fraud, but cautioned that two more steps were needed.

He called on insurers to hire suitably trained staff and develop technology to boost their anti-fraud units, as the Personal Injuries Commission recommended.

“The days of settling fraudulent claims as an expedient and then passing the cost of this approach on to society must end,” warned Mr Boland.

“Secondly, we call on the Garda Commissioner to urgently establish divisional structures to counter fraud,” he said.

"This initiative was announced by An Garda Síochána in 2019 but nothing has happened on it since."