The City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) has announced its first-ever Serious Crime Prevention Order against a serial insurance scammer who was jailed in 2021.
The offender, Hamid Sediqi (pictured), 38, of Somervell Road, Harrow, was sentenced to four years imprisonment at Inner London Crown Court in May 2021. He was charged with cloning a claims management company and orchestrating over 60 fraudulent motor insurance claims.
A Serious Crime Prevention Order was lodged against Sediqi at the same court Feb. 23. This order, a first for the IFED, means that Sediqi will be subject to a number of restrictions following his release from prison this month, to prevent him from committing further offences.
Under the order’s restrictions, which were set in conjunction with the Lifetime Offender Management Unit (LOMU) of the City of London Police, Sediqi will have limitations on the number of mobile phones and current bank accounts which he can hold. He will also be required to inform the LOMU of any changes to his address and other personal circumstances. Breach of the order is a criminal offence and punishable by up to five years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
“This result not only represents an important milestone for IFED, but shows that repeat offenders will be dealt with robustly,” IFED detective chief inspector Tom Hill said. "Sediqi targeted legitimate businesses and used the identities of unsuspecting members of the public for his own financial gain. Thankfully, the Serious Crime Prevention Order handed to him will help ensure that he does not continue with this fraudulent activity, and prevent further innocent people from falling victim to his schemes.”
After a legitimate claims management company discovered that he had posed as its director and offered to refer claims to a solicitors firm in exchange for a fee, Sediqi was referred to IFED for investigations. In total, he made £26,070 in referral fees, and detectives found that he was also linked to the bank accounts that received the payments.
IFED and Aviva, the UK insurer that Sediqi defrauded, launched a separate investigation that linked him and two others to 62 fraudulent motor insurance claims. Sediqi and his partners operated by fraudulently opening bank accounts using stolen IDs or fictitious details to take out insurance policies with Aviva, resulting in a total of £200,000 in compensation defrauded from the company.
“This is a watershed moment for the insurance industry and something which Aviva welcomes and applauds. Sediqi is a career criminal who balanced significant greed against a likelihood of being caught and the potential outcome if convicted. He was willing to re-offend because he thought he knew the consequences. That has changed and, if breached, the Serious Crime Prevention Order carries an immediate term of imprisonment,” Aviva special investigations unit manager Carl Mather said.
Mather also said that Aviva has fully supported the investigation and the steps taken to secure the order. With the court granting it, insurance fraud impact on the general public has been acknowledged, while the restrictions imposed on Sediqi are specifically designed to prevent him from continuing to target insurers. In the future, it will also serve as a deterrent for others looking to dabble in insurance fraud.
“Aviva remains resolute in its determination to detect and prosecute fraud and in so doing will continue to protect our honest customers from paying for the criminal actions of others,” Mather said.
A recent Broker Pulse study from RSA Insurance found that brokers are increasingly concerned and are calling for additional support from the industry with regards to insurance fraud.
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