Across the Channel, cases of insurance fraud are increasing and giving insurers a hard time. People who attempt it would expose themselves to great risks.
Increasingly, to quickly report a claim to their insurance, the insured has the possibility of attaching certain supporting documents directly to their customer area, whether online or on a dedicated mobile application. The aim is to make administrative procedures as easy as possible for the affiliate. But by wanting to digitize procedures as much as possible, people sometimes take advantage of this to spot a breach in the system and develop very subtle scams. This is what several insurance companies in the United Kingdom are currently experiencing.
Indeed, a certain amount of insurance fraud is making headlines in the English media and could become much more widespread in the future, including in France. The process is as follows: crooks use image editing software, some of which are equipped with artificial intelligence, to simulate an accident with their vehicle. For example, by taking an image of his car, the criminal will modify it and add false cracks to its bumper. The objective, as you can imagine, is to obtain financial compensation from your insurance company.
This scheme, which is at the heart of the news, is not that new. According to Siham Harroussi, Director of Innovation at Macif, “this type of fraud is very common and particularly over the past two years, with the acceleration of generative artificial intelligence. Already last year, at the European level, the federal insurer bodies warned of the multiplication of fraud attempts with the use of AI”, she tells us. In recent years, image retouching as such no longer only concerns photos, sometimes it is documents (a company invoice, a certificate of care, an expertise) which are modified to the advantage of the insured, by changing the date of the accident, the name of the beneficiary or a reference. With AI, there also arises “the problem of generating images”, which can be very well produced and therefore more easily cause confusion, even if insurers are increasingly aware of these techniques and able to to fight against these frauds”, the specialist tells us.”
Today, there are many tools used to commit fraud, and often, they are easy to use. An average person, who has a little mastery of new technologies, could use it very well. But if the insurance company becomes aware of the scam, the consequences can be dramatic for the affiliate. “Generally speaking, a false declaration (car, home or even private life accident for example) may result in the forfeiture of guarantees for the loss, the reimbursement of compensation paid by the insurer or the termination of the contract, or even the removal of the insured.” confirms Macif.