Aviva has announced a 39% increase in the number of claims it declined for fraud in 2023. The insurer said it had identified 11,000 suspect claims with a combined worth of £116m during the year. Fraudulent motor claims for injury and vehicle damage accounted for 66% of the total.

Pete Ward, head of claims counter fraud at Aviva, said, “We’re here to help our customers when something’s gone wrong, settling their claim quickly and fairly. But where we detect fraud, we will vigorously defend fraudulent or inflated claims and, where appropriate, prosecute those who target Aviva.

“That’s why we’ve invested in the tools, technology and people necessary to create a robust counter-fraud capability, helping to ensure the cost of insurance fraud is not passed onto our customers.

“This investment has improved our ability to detect fraud across all lines of business and has contributed to the steep rise in the number of fraudulent claims we detected last year – particularly in motor, where exaggerated claims for damage have rocketed.”