Car insurance scammer invented company called ‘Shifty Rental Solutions’

A scammer who faked a car accident to make a fraudulent insurance claim through a bogus company called ‘Shifty Rental Solutions’ has been spared jail.

Shajeel Malik, 32, worked with an accomplice to set up an online policy for a Peugeot 206 with Direct Line using the alias ‘John West’ in 2016.

He submitted an insurance claim under the name Habib saying that the driver had suffered whiplash after his Mercedes had been in a collusion with John West’s vehicle.

But investigators for the insurance company suspected that the claim on behalf of John West was fishy.

They discovered that both the addresses for ‘Habib’ and ‘John West’ were fake and the accident management company was also a fabrication.

Malik was convicted of fraud by false representation at Southwark Crown Court following a 10-day trial.

Judge Michael Grieve, QC, said Malik was the ‘controlling mind behind the company’ and ‘had the gall to pursue the claim into County Court, even after it had attracted suspicion’.

The judge added: ‘It was only the fact that the insurance company stood its ground that led to you being obliged not to find anyone to stand up and pretend to be Habib at Oxford County Court.

‘The fraud was sustained over a considerable period of time and you sought to support it with false documentation.’

Prosecutor Mark Stranger said: ‘This verdict and sentence sends a direct message to those who would defraud insurance companies that their activities will not be accepted by the industry and will have serious consequences if brought before the courts.’

Mike Brown, Head of Counter Fraud Intelligence & Disclosure at Direct Line Group, said: ‘This has been a long and complex investigation and we are delighted that the perpetrator of this fraud has been brought to justice.

‘This is a fantastic achievement not only for Direct Line Group, but also for the insurance industry and its customers generally, as it sends a clear message to fraudsters that insurance fraud will not be tolerated.’

Malik, of West Drayton, west London, denied, but was convicted of fraud by false representation.

He was given a nine month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work.