The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has urged the technology sector to shoulder more responsibility in the fight against insurance fraud, as the UK government unveils a new fraud strategy backed by more than £250 million in public funding.
ABI director general Hannah Gurga (pictured above) said fraud remains "the biggest crime in England and Wales," with millions affected each year, often those in the most vulnerable circumstances. She voiced support for the government's push toward cross-sector partnerships but made clear the burden cannot fall on insurers alone.
"With most fraud starting online, tech firms, social platforms and telecoms providers must now deliver on their commitments and contribute to prevention and detection," Gurga said, welcoming a strengthened governance framework to monitor their performance.
The fraud strategy for 2026–29, launched by Home Office Minister of State Lord Hanson, is built around three pillars: disrupting the tools criminals rely on, safeguarding the public through proactive policing, and strengthening victim support and enforcement.
Fraud now accounts for 45% of all crime in the UK, with 4.15 million incidents recorded against individuals over the past year at an estimated annual cost of £14 billion.
The ABI's own data, published last year, underscores the industry's exposure. Detected fraudulent general insurance claims reached a record £1.16 billion in 2024, up 2% year on year, with over 98,400 cases identified.
Motor insurance fraud accounted for 53% of all detected cases, while liability fraud rose 44%. Opportunistic fraud, where legitimate claims are inflated, made up 73% of cases by volume.
The new strategy builds on the previous Conservative government's 2023 Fraud Strategy, which targeted a 10% reduction in fraud on 2019 levels and introduced voluntary sector charters as a delivery mechanism. The Home Office has since reported a 13% drop in fraud following that launch.
Lord Hanson described the latest iteration as an escalation. Its centrepiece is a new Online Crime Centre, a public-private partnership supported by £31 million in government funding bringing together policing, the intelligence community and industry.
The strategy also outlines plans for a Fraud Victims Charter, an independent review of fraud legislation and the potential use of civil penalties.
"Our aim is to make the UK the hardest place in the world for fraudsters to operate," Lord Hanson said, warning that "new initiatives and incentives may be needed" where voluntary commitments fall short.
Gurga confirmed the industry would continue working with government to deliver on the Insurance Sector Fraud Charter, a voluntary agreement announced in October 2024 covering loopholes in the insurance market, data sharing and victim support.
The charter, signed by the ABI alongside Lloyd's of London, BIBA and other major bodies, is overseen by the Joint Fraud Taskforce.
Gurga said insurers "already invest heavily in fighting insurance fraud and take this threat extremely seriously." Lord Hanson confirmed the UK would attend the second Global Fraud Summit in Vienna, with over 30 countries participating.
