Huge rise in patients trying to make fake crash injury claims

By Charlotte Beugge

The compensation culture has resulted in a massive increase in patients to GPs surgeries trying to make fraudulent claims for car accident injuries.

According to research by insurer LV, 60% of GPS say they have seen a marked increase in fake claims in the last two years. More than half have been contacted by claims companies in the last 12 months asking to buy patients details.

The report estimates 29,000 GP hours are wasted every month by claims companies and people making up or exaggerating injuries.

And nearly nine out of ten GPs said they have seen someone who was completely making up an injury while 96% said they'd had a patient they believed was exaggerating an injury in order to claim compensation.

However, it's not surprising this happens as the report says that more than half of all Britons say they have been contacted out of the blue by a claims company - even if they had not been in an accident.

Nearly two thirds of those who had actually been in a car accident said they had been "pestered" by lawyers or claims management companies, suggesting their details have been sold on.

A quarter of those who had been in a car prang in the past year said they tried to exaggerate or fake injury to get compensation - and a quarter made up the injury entirely.

Many of these claims involve whiplash, and LV says it estimates 15% of last year's whiplash claims were fake. The Transport Select Committee said this week that the size of whiplash claims should be restricted.