Jonathan Hehir, Managing Director at insuremyhouse.ie explained: “It’s a wicked irony that the economy might be improving but the benefits are being negated by increased litigation from “professional” insurance claimants and a subsequent rise in the cost of insurance.

Unfortunately, 2018 could be pretty bleak for the affected businesses unless the Government act fact & introduce harsher penalties and jail time for these unscrupulous fraudsters whose “profession” is dive & pseudo steal in businesses nationwide.

There is without doubt a relatively small, but very active and dangerous cohort of people out there who engage in the practice of falsifying insurance claims. This has the knock-on effect of putting upward pressure on insurance premiums – be they motor or commercial – as insurers endeavour to recoup the losses made on the back of these claims pay-outs. This, in turn, is having a devastating effect on some small Irish businesses as they can no longer afford their commercial insurance and public liability premiums”.

Several weeks ago representatives from the business and insurance industries were before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Business, Enterprise and Innovation to make representations to policymakers on the cost of doing business. The Committee was told how businesses throughout the country are closing as a result of crippling fraudulent public liability (PL) claims and subsequent premium increases.

In support of small businesses and motorists all over Ireland that are suffering from spiralling insurance premiums coupled with crippling claims costs insurance Insuremyshop.ie are calling on Financial Services Minister Eoghan Murphy to speed up the establishment of the insurance claims register to out what they describe as “Trip & Trick claimants” and other professional fraudsters.

Insuremyshop.ie describe fraudulent PL claims as a “plague” on many small businesses in Ireland, particularly those in retail.

Jonathan explained: “Too many commentators refer to this as a public liability insurance issue, but it’s not. It is a diving issue and a lying issue, and by that I mean people literally diving on the floor or pretending to trip over something, or pretending to steal items from the store in order to accuse the shop assistant/ owner of defamation when questioned.

From what we see on the ground, a significant portion of these cases are intentionally planned by ‘legal criminals’ that have invariably benefited from similar exercises in the past. Professional criminals as the smart ones – instead of breaking the law, they see the law as stupid or ineffective, and make a living from manipulating it in their favour”.

Insuremyshop.ie contend that another major fraud issue for shop owners is staged “wrongful arrest” or defamation. This is where fraudsters pretend to steal an item and when asked if they have paid for the item, initiate proceedings to claim for defamation, through a letter from a solicitor. These cases typically cost insurers between 5-10k

Jonathan concluded: “The people conducting these scams may as well hold up the owner with a loaded gun and steal the takings. But why take the chance of robbing a shop with a gun and getting €5,000, facing prison for a number of years if caught, when you can pretend to slip, or pretend you have been defamed and get €10.000. It is a no brainer for many criminals. But it’s going to close businesses quicker than the gun.”

The CFM group, one of Ireland’s largest general insurance brokers, and the company behind the Insuremyshop.ie, Insuremyhouse.ie, Insuremyvan.ie and Coverinclick.ie brands, says it intends to campaign for a register which it believes will go a long way to curbing the activities of “professional insurance claimants”, who, they believe, are making a substantial living from falsifying multiple claims with the aim of being compensated by insurance pay-outs.