In the past year, Zurich UK said it identified 4,049 fraudulent claims, up by 10% on the previous year, worth a combined total of £94.8m. The carrier said casualty claims accounted for £61m of the total with property and motor adding more than £19m and £14m respectively.

Scott Clayton, head of claims fraud at Zurich, said: “It’s crucial we remain one step ahead of fraudsters, every false claim that slips through the net impacts our honest customers. It cuts across every type of insurance, but casualty seems to be one of most common.

“Techniques are becoming more sophisticated but so is the technology we use for detection. Much of this fraud is carried out by highly organised criminal gangs so it’s not all down to opportunistic customers and claimants. It’s really important for every insurer to keep pace by using the latest detection technology, alongside human intervention to keep pace with this fast-growing challenge for the industry.”