Police ‘Downes’ £100k PPI fraudster
A man has been convicted of fraud after claiming nearly £100,000 for loss of earnings from a job he didn’t have, due to an illness he didn’t suffer from.
Mark Downes, 28, from Kent, was sentenced to three years and four months after trying to defraud two insurance companies.
Downes opened four income protection insurance policies between January 2012 and April 2013, two with Cardif Pinnacle and two with Shepherds Friendly.
In both he claimed to be working for haulage company Kaatee Transport – as a driver in some cases and manager in others.
Both policies with Shepherds Friendly were closed shortly after they were opened due to non-payment of direct debits, but on 28 March 2012 he made claims against both Cardif Pinnacle policies, stating he had ulcerative colitis and had been unable to work since 25 January.
Cardif Pinnacle was suspicious and after launching its own investigation found various inconsistencies in the documentation.
It subsequently passed the case on to the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department, whose detectives discovered that the medical notes and letters had been forged. The addresses Downes supplied were also fake and it was discovered that Downes had only worked for Netherlands-based Kaatee Transport for one month in 2008.
Detective constable Jamie Kirk, from the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department said, ‘Downes opened these four income protection policies with the sole intention of falsely claiming against them for his own profit.
‘Thanks to the vigilance of the staff at Cardif Pinnacle and Shepherds Friendly, we have then been able to establish the full extent of his fraud and deceit. This sentence should serve as a stark warning to others thinking of doing similar that claims are checked and those making false claims will be prosecuted.’
