Britons cashing in on holiday claims
Published On 10 September 2007
Many people from the UK 'cash in' on their holiday misfortune by making false or exaggerated claims on their insurance policies.Research carried out by Direct Line revealed that one in ten Britons upped the financial value of losses and five per cent added possessions to a claim.
Some 15 per cent of holidaymakers who have had to claim on their travel insurance admitted they had bent the truth - ten per cent of whom take the attitude that if other people do, they can too.
Chris Price from Direct Line said that "it's worrying to see from the results of the research that some consumers appear to underestimate the consequences of their actions".
He added: "The telling of a 'little white lie' is fraud however they chose to justify it.. Contemplating committing fraud is a serious matter and we would urge anyone about to claim on their travel insurance not to take this lightly."
The poll found that 25 per cent of false claims were for lost or stolen jewellery, followed by cameras with 24 per cent. Some 12 per cent of people claimed for clothing, while five per cent sought cash for supposedly lost or damaged sunglasses.
Despite this, recent research by Sainsbury's Bank showed that a lot of people go on holiday with no travel insurance at all. Almost one in five 'last-minute' holidaymakers went overseas without cover, the study found.
