How does an insurance company find out if your telling the truth
 

E.g.

If you were 18 and states on insurance that you were 24, to lower you premium, how would they know ?

Even if you had a claim, all that happens is you take the car to an insurance investigator / repair centre, they never ask for proof of age etc.


Not for me i'm over 30 (not by much though).

Just wondered after reading post about very expensive insurance.

Presumably when you claim they ask for your driver number (never had a personal claim so I don't know) and they can work it out from that?

Wouldn't you have to post them your driver's license so they could check you have the number of points you say you have?

They could also do some carbon dating on the arm and leg you gave them when you took out the policy :)

I think you have to give them your license number

No none of the above ever happen AFAIK, my partner had her car rear ended and written off, she phoned ins company - they tell her to take it to a certain repair center, where it is photographed and then written off. Money comes within 2 weeks, no proof of anything required.


Also no proof is required when you fill all your ins. details in online. Certainly never had to give out driving licence details, or proof of age in any way.

Not trying to pull a fast one - I live inAngus district in Scotland - the cheapest place in Scotland to insure a car - Lets just say Sub £450 at 30 year old, not bad for 03 WRX.

Some claims go through easily, other's less so. On 1 occasion, the assessor arranged to meet me and view the car at my home. Other times I just filled in the forms. Dunno what it is about me and the misses. Had 4 rear end shunts between us. Every time on a straight road, sitting in a line of traffic, stationary with the hand brake on and some muppet ploughs in to the back :rolleyes:

Correct, if the insurance company doesn't sniff anything wrong with a claim then they usually wont ask for the license details. However if there is any doubt at all, and they ask for your license and if even the smallest thing is not on their records then they have the right not to pay out and usually don't. Having said that, in my youth, I had a backbox on a Pug205 once that I 'forgot' to tell the insurer about and when they saw the pictures and asked me about it, I just swore blind that I HAD told them about it, and they obviously hadn't kept a record of it :) Good job they didn't check the engine internals as well :o Not that I condone you should do that of course. It seems to depend on the insurer, and/or how much they have to shell out to pay your claim that dictates what checks they make.

So if you were 18/19 yrs old and wanted a scooby/evo, you should have sat your driving test at 17, stating then that you were 20, so that within a couple of years you insurance would go down rapidly ? ;)


Then if you give you license as proof, it says you are older as well.

LOL I dont think the DVLA would fall for that when issuing u your license :)

how do they check if your are telling the truth about your NCB?

Apart from whether or not the insurance company (which there will be more than one if someone else is involved) finds out or not, it still constitues fraud, driving without insurance and probably a few others too. Do you really wanna risk spending some time at her majestys pleasure?

Also, if a teenage looking kid smashed into me driving a scoob or suchlike, I'd personally ask the police and my insurance company to investigate. wouldn't take much for them to find out.

I'm not tempted, I'm old enough.

But imagine young lad 17/18 yr old with fiesta at £450 and insurance at £1500 TPFTheft, would be not be tempted.

Also - DVLA can't see your birth certificate.

I had to send a copy of my driving licence in when I had a claim (Admiral Ins), it's fairly easy to spot from there..

PS.... it's also fraud....

Lightning, isn't your national insurance # used somewhere along the line when u get a new license? I think it is IIRC, so the DVLA will know your correct age ;) Anyway they can easily find your true age from the checks that they have to do.

better not bothering with any insurance then as if they get a sniff they will not pay out so why bother paying anything. Insurance is a trust contract, if you knowingly lie then the contract is no longer valid and they do not need to pay out.

Nope there is no national ins no. on

elephant, tescos, L&V, or N Union.

P.S. What checks do they do and where ?

Also if you were 17. What is the fine for driving with no insurance ?


Probably cheaper than the Third part insurance.

I am not advocating this, I am merely inquisitive. If the little basta rd hit my car with no insurance, I would be the one going to jail. :mad:

I believe that all the insurance companies now have a central computer somewhere which records your details every time you ask for a quote. Clearly if the details were varying between quote requests then that is an immediate indication that there is something sneaky going on and it might be enough to prompt them to further action.

Most people get at least 5 quotes every time they renew so it wouldn't take a very complex "expert system" to spot someone prone to being economical with the truth. Politicians must find it impossible to get covered.

As others have pointed out they often ask for your license when you make a claim and Elephant ask that you have proof of no claims available as they don't ask for any evidence of it when accepting your payment.

As others have pointed out there is no point lying on a small point and then paying out the cash for coverage, you will not be covered, they will have seen every trick in the book and they don't want to give you their money.

There is nothing to stop you lying about your age to an insurance company, however, as stated by others it is fraud and if you do get caught, well, you're premiums might be a smidge higher than normal, Ins co's really do not take kindly to being defrauded (but it's ok for them to ream us for not inconsiderable ammounts of money).

in the past i'm sure that i've had to send in a copy of my driving licence when i've changed companys.