Get out of the way: insurance fraudsters offered to take away cars
The Interior Ministry is developing measures to tighten the fight against insurance fraud, the ministry told Izvestia. Insurers have proposed creating a single database of such criminals with access for all companies. And also — prohibit fraudsters from driving a car for a period of 1-3 years and confiscate the car. This will apply to those who were found guilty by the court, the RSA explained. Industry representatives have also requested access to all traffic cameras in the city to check accidents for signs of fraud. How this system will work and whether there are risks is in the Izvestia article.
How insurance fraudsters will be tracked
The Ministry of Internal Affairs, together with the Central Bank, are developing measures to counter intruders who initiate road accidents to receive illegal insurance payments, the ministry's press service told Izvestia. The Russian Union of Insurers (RSA) supported the strengthening of the fight against such crimes and sent proposals to the Bank of Russia.
Among the initiatives of the RSA is the creation of a single database of fraudsters, which will allow insurance companies to exchange information about suspicious cases and signs of fraud. In addition, it is proposed to deprive persons found guilty by the court of the right to drive a vehicle for a period of one to three years, as well as to confiscate the car used in the commission of a crime.
The union explained: this measure will deprive the attackers of the tools of fake accidents, which means they will not be able to continue to profit from such accidents and other illegal schemes with car insurance payments. The norm is proposed to be fixed in criminal legislation, the letter says.
In addition, the RSA requested increased access to traffic cameras. Currently, insurance companies can only use the "Safe City" system, while materials from the "Web" and "Stream" complexes remain inaccessible to them due to the position of the executive authorities. At the same time, the union emphasizes that camera data is necessary to detect signs of fraud in the settlement of insurance claims. In particular, we are talking about situations where attackers fake an accident, bring an already damaged car to the site and then demand compensation.
The Central Bank supports the expansion of existing and the development of new mechanisms to combat fraud in the CTP market, the press service of the Bank of Russia told Izvestia. They added that the initiatives require detailed study: it is necessary to ensure a balance between the effectiveness of the proposed measures and the rights of bona fide participants.
Why do insurers need access to cameras on the roads
According to Sovcombank Insurance, the level of fraud in the insurance segment reaches 30%. And the annual damage amounts to billions of rubles, added Oleg Khizhnyak, director of the Rosgosstrakh Security Department. In this regard, according to him, the counteraction requires systemic measures at the state level, and the creation of a unified database of insurance fraudsters is long overdue.
— The main problem is information disconnection. Fraudsters often work simultaneously with dozens of companies where the same person or group of people alternately participate in fake accidents. At the same time, each company sees only a fragment of the overall picture, which allows such schemes to remain in the shadows. A single database will help identify "serial fraudsters" and track the recurrence of insurance events and their participants," said Vladimir Pashin, Director of Security at MAKS.
In his opinion, the introduction of such a system can make massive fraudulent schemes in auto insurance economically unprofitable. The use of artificial intelligence technologies can have an additional effect: according to Dmitry Durinov, Vice president for corporate security at Renaissance Insurance, the analysis of the relationships between the participants will make it possible to identify unscrupulous customers already at the stage of concluding the contract.
However, it is important to clearly define the criteria by which a person gets into such a database so that bona fide clients do not suffer, Zetta Insurance emphasized.
The initiative on the possible confiscation of vehicles from insurance fraudsters was supported by Rosgosstrakh, MAKS and Consent. For car dealers, the loss of driving rights and the risk of property loss often turn out to be a more sensitive punishment than suspended sentences of criminal responsibility, explained MAKS Security Director Vladimir Pashin.
According to him, access to all traffic cameras is necessary for a full-fledged analysis of the circumstances of an accident: the trajectory of cars before the accident, the possible presence of deliberate actions, driving into "blind spots", as well as the time of arrival of participants at the scene. Without video recording, it is almost impossible to prove staged accidents in difficult areas, such as roundabouts, or to identify fictitious collisions with obstacles, the expert emphasized.
This way, companies will receive more data for analysis, will be able to increase the speed of decision-making on payments and at the same time detect attempts at insurance fraud at an early stage, Oleg Khizhnyak is sure. Today, fraudsters often take advantage of the insurer's lack of complete video information, the press service of Consent added.
Insurers should also be given access to the materials of law enforcement agencies throughout Russia, according to Zetta Insurance. At the same time, it is important to ensure the confidentiality of all this information, but insurers are ready for this, Sovcombank Insurance added.
How will the fight against fraud affect the price of policies
The proposed measures will help protect ordinary citizens from rising policy rates, and insurers will be able to form a proper evidence base for fraud cases, said Andrei Yazykov, First Deputy General Director of Yugoria. He added: it is known that the same citizens and the same cars are involved in unfair practices.
"In fact, you and I are paying for the policy, and part of our money is spent not on repairing the injured, but on new cars for the "gray" dealers," said Irina Frank, CEO of Frank Auto.
To increase the effectiveness of the fight against fraud, it is also necessary to strengthen pre-insurance verification of customers, according to Consent. Potential attackers can be identified by characteristic signs: multiple insurance claims, an abnormally high frequency of calls, and other markers.
By the end of 2025, the incidence of criminal cases against insurers decreased to 21%, compared to 31% in 2024. That is, almost eight out of ten appeals to the police simply hang up, said Alexey Ivanov, the owner of the Alliance Trucks commercial vehicle dealership network. What is really needed now is a systematic fight against fraudsters. At the same time, the quality of law enforcement practice remains a key risk.
Now many citizens are restricted in their driving rights for non-payment of fines or alimony. It is necessary to clearly separate financial indiscipline and deliberate insurance fraud under Article 159.5 of the Criminal Code, Irina Frank emphasized. The second difficulty is the issue of ownership. You can only confiscate a car if it belongs to a fraudster. However, an attacker can arrange a car for his wife or brother, such a situation also needs to be foreseen, the expert believes.
The full effect of the new measures will most likely be visible in two to three years. In the first months, scammers will lie low and start looking for loopholes. However, if you remove 10-15% of criminal payments, then CTP tariffs may go down, the expert concluded.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
