Crash exposes insurance fraud gang that downgraded Dh337,000 car to Dh38,000 on paper

Abu Dhabi: A traffic accident has led to the uncovering of an organised insurance fraud network that manipulated vehicle insurance documents by issuing policies with falsified details while collecting higher premiums from customers, according to court records.

The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court convicted several defendants of forging an insurance policy for a 2024 Nissan Patrol after agreeing with the vehicle’s owner to arrange comprehensive insurance valued at Dh337,000.

The victim paid Dh15,000 for the policy, only to later discover the vehicle had been insured as a 2011 model with a value of just Dh38,000.

The court fined each defendant Dh20,000 after finding them guilty of forgery, using falsified documents and fraud.

According to Emarat Al Youm, the victim had purchased the vehicle from a car showroom and sought comprehensive insurance before registering it under his son’s name.

He received what appeared to be a valid insurance document via WhatsApp and transferred the requested payment without suspecting any irregularities.

The fraud came to light after the vehicle was involved in a major accident and declared a total loss. When the owner contacted the insurance company, he discovered that while a genuine policy had been issued for the vehicle, the details had been altered. The official policy listed the car as a 2011 model with significantly lower insured value, confirming that the document he received had been digitally manipulated.

Investigations revealed the scheme was organised rather than random. The defendants allegedly obtained a legitimate insurance policy before digitally altering key details such as the vehicle model and insured value, then sending a forged copy to the victim to create the impression of valid coverage. Investigators said the suspects relied on the assumption that customers often verify only the existence of insurance rather than checking its full details.

Authorities also found that the original policy had been issued through the insurer’s electronic platforms, which the suspects exploited to carry out the fraud. The case was eventually uncovered after investigators traced the Dh15,000 payment as it moved through a chain of transfers involving seven suspects in an apparent attempt to conceal its origin.

Among the key clues was a phone number listed on the forged document, which was traced to a technology company that provides and redistributes phone numbers, complicating efforts to identify those involved. Further investigations later established the roles of each member of the network.