Fake Insurance / 6 Points

Honest John Back Room » Legal matters
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Fri 19 Jul 2019 02:21
Fake Insurance / 6 Points - Zippy123

Just watched this weeks episode of Fake Britain and a young man was pulled over for having no insurance.

He showed payments made to a fake broker and he legitimately thought he had insurance.

The narrator said he got a fine and 6 points for not having insurance.

This seems unfair as the man had clearly tried to do the right thing.

Wouldn't the fact that he had purchased, albeit fake, insurance not be a mitigation factor in court?

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Fri 19 Jul 2019 09:01
Fake Insurance / 6 Points - Vitesse6

Maybe I am over cautious, but a couple of days after the start of a policy I check on the askmid website to make sure the policy is listed.

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Fri 19 Jul 2019 11:03
Fake Insurance / 6 Points - Avant

In the old days I used a broker for all types of insurance - but now one can simply deal with the insurers directly online.

Maybe this young man was having trouble getting someone to insure him so resorted to a dodgy broker?

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Fri 19 Jul 2019 12:23
Fake Insurance / 6 Points - RT

In the old days I used a broker for all types of insurance - but now one can simply deal with the insurers directly online.

Maybe this young man was having trouble getting someone to insure him so resorted to a dodgy broker?

The role of brokers has changed - they're very useful for any risk which is out of the ordinary - I have health issues which may affect my driving, and my car has a high insurance group, I'm almost uninsurable online but not an issue with a broker who talks to the underwriter.

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Fri 19 Jul 2019 13:18
Fake Insurance / 6 Points - SLO76
These fake brokers are usually easy to spot. It’s almost always high risk drivers they prey on but as with all things if it seems to good to be true it usually is. This driver was no doubt getting large four figure quotes then this broker would pop up with a price that’s a tiny fraction of every other quote. He will have known or at least have suspected something is wrong.
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Fri 19 Jul 2019 13:32
Fake Insurance / 6 Points - FP

Claiming mitigation on the grounds of being conned by the fake broker would probably be strongly tested in court. How much common sense was used?

The victim is presumably able to sue the broker if the former is convicted. Somehow I don't see it going his way.

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Fri 19 Jul 2019 13:56
Fake Insurance / 6 Points - Zippy123

Could be an issue for anyone if a legitimate insurance company fails though.

You buy insurance for the year, insurer goes bust and leaves you uncovered, even if you thought you were covered.

Not everyone reads newspapers / watches the news on TV so it could be easy to miss.

In theory it could even happen mid journey!

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Fri 19 Jul 2019 14:50
Fake Insurance / 6 Points - skidpan

A cousin of mine set up a brokerage back in the 90's and simply issued cover notes without ever sending monies to the insurance companies. When it was discovered he did time, no sympathy there.

Could be an issue for anyone if a legitimate insurance company fails though.

If a legitimate company falls through you are still legally insured through a scheme that gives limited cover should a company fail thus no convictions could be made. But you still need to re insure since whilst you could not be prosecuted for no insurance and are covered for 3rd party risks the amount of comprehensive cover is limited. It happened to an insurer popular with Caterham owners some years ago ( I had been insured with them but moved for better track day cover a couple of years earlier) and everyone I know took out a new policy despite being theoretically covered to legally drive.

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Fri 19 Jul 2019 18:54
Fake Insurance / 6 Points - Chris M

Two things about the Fake Britain report.

Firstly, I think he found the broker via Facebook where everything is kosher. Second, he was, I believe, eastern European and may therefore not have fully understood how insurance in the UK works (possibly being generous there).

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Fri 19 Jul 2019 20:26
Fake Insurance / 6 Points - Zippy123

Could be an issue for anyone if a legitimate insurance company fails though.

If a legitimate company falls through you are still legally insured through a scheme that gives limited cover should a company fail thus no convictions could be made. But you still need to re insure since whilst you could not be prosecuted for no insurance and are covered for 3rd party risks the amount of comprehensive cover is limited. It happened to an insurer popular with Caterham owners some years ago ( I had been insured with them but moved for better track day cover a couple of years earlier) and everyone I know took out a new policy despite being theoretically covered to legally drive.

Thanks, didn't know that.

At least there is a safety net for those that purchased insurance from a legitimate firm. Tough luck and a criminal record for those that otherwise made a mistake though!

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Fri 19 Jul 2019 21:16
Fake Insurance / 6 Points - jc2

As already said-if it sounds too good to be true,it probably isn't true!

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Tue 23 Jul 2019 18:28
Fake Insurance / 6 Points - leaseman

As I previously pointed out on this Forum many years ago, the word "probably" is totally redundant in this old adage (In every single case!) !!!

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