Conwoman claimed she was Grenfell and terror attack victim

A ‘heartless’ fraudster who tried to make £180,000 by exploiting tragedies including the Grenfell Tower fire and recent terror atrocities has been jailed for three years.

Ruksana Ashraf, 44, made a series of bogus insurance claims in the wake of Grenfell, the Manchester Arena bombing and the London Bridge terror attack.

Armed with multiple fake identities the sick con artist took out dozens of policies with companies including Aviv, and Legal and General between 2012 and 2017.

Following an investigation by the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement she was jailed for three years for fraud by false representation and money laundering offences.

Ashraf was finding in a bedroom when IFED officers raided a relative’s home following a tip-off by Royal Sun Alliance (RSA).

Using internal fraud identification procedures, they noticed similarities in claims that had been made against several different policies.

The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) were able to confirm Ashraf’s home address following a data protection request.

The group of bank accounts used to create the policies and receive funds from the claims were all the same.

Lots of the claims were similar in nature, with multiple claims for lost high value items such as jewellery and designer clothing, often from specific brands.

Ashraf was arrested in 2016 and interviewed, but answered no comment to all questions and was released under investigation.

IFED used cross border powers and executed a search warrant, with support from Scottish Police when they raided Ashraf’s home and a relative’s address, where she was found hiding in a locked bedroom.

Following a search, officers found paperwork relating directly to the fake policies, along with bogus driving licences and passports. They also discovered sim cards and hand written notes relating to her fraudulent enterprise.

Ashraf made three claims following the Grenfell Tower inferno stating she was visiting her family and her personal items had been lost in the fire.

She made two claims after Manchester Arena Bombing saying she had attended the concert with her partner and daughter, but left her items behind when she escaped the venue.

Ashraf also made one claim for the Bridge terror attack: one claim, stating she was in the area at the time and lost her personal items after being told to run away from the area.

IFED officers even found packs of documents laid out in her bedroom that Ashraf had prepared in advance to make even more fraudulent claims.

In total, Ashraf took out in excess of 70 policies and made over 50 fraudulent insurance claims.

She attempted to steal £179,000, with £50,000 being paid out to her, the court heard.

The court was told Ashraf, of Saughton Mains Terrace, Edinburgh, had turned to drink and gambling following two abusive relationships and was carer to her elderly mother.

Jailing her for three years, Judge Graham Wood, QC, said it was disgraceful to have used terrorist attacks and disasters to make false claims.

DC Pete Gartland, who led the investigation for the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department, said: ‘It’s clear that Ashraf is a heartless and selfish individual. She had no qualms in exploiting these tragic events to make a financial gain, showing no empathy for the families of those who lost their lives in some horrific circumstances.

‘Her fraudulent activity also impacts the general public, causing insurance premiums to rise for everyone.

‘Insurance fraud is a serious crime and this case, including the sentencing, shows that it is not taken lightly by IFED, the insurance industry or the criminal courts.’

Matt Smyth, Technical and Major Loss claims Manager for Legal and General, said:

‘We (Legal & General) are pleased that we were able to identify Ruksana Ashraf’s fraudulent activity and bring her to the attention of the Police.

‘Insurance fraud is a major issue and this case is an example of how Insurers, the Police and the Courts are working well together to make it clear that fraud will not be tolerated and that there are consequences for this behaviour.

‘We are committed to proactive investigation of all insurance fraud for the benefit of protecting our genuine customers.’

John Beadle, Head of Counter Fraud and Financial Crime, RSA: ‘This woman ruthlessly manipulated insurance companies to feed her own greed, taking out insurance policies in false names and then making up completely fictitious claims, exploiting insurers’ desire to do the best for their customers by settling claims as quickly as possible.

‘In order to ensure she got money to which she was not entitled as quickly as possible, she even cynically made up claims connected to various terrorist incidents and other disasters, such as the MEN arena, Borough Market and even Grenfell Tower.

‘She did this knowing that insurers were likely to quickly settle claims in order to minimise further stress for their customers. On the spectrum of cynical and calculated dishonesty in respect of insurance fraud, this must rank amongst the very worst kind. We are grateful to IFED for their support in bringing this woman to justice.’