A married couple who conned an insurer out of £8,358.50 by making fictitious claims on pet insurance for real and non-existent dogs have been sentenced.
Trained accountant Chelsea Stafford and her husband Stellio made nine false claims on two MORE TH>N policies between December 2013 and May 2014 for three Staffordshire Bull Terriers that they said had contracted cancer.
To make their claims for their dog Buster and two fictitious pooches named Angel and Winston appear authentic, they sent MORE TH>N forged invoices from a local veterinary practice detailing the animals’ illnesses and the veterinary treatment received.
They penned phoney letters from the practice to the insurer stating the couple should receive payouts directly. Littered with poor grammar and incorrect terminology, one of the letters included references to Buster having suffered an ‘airline fracture’ to his leg which resulted in him getting cancer and dying.
Chelsea cashed in one of MORE TH>N’s cheques at a cheque cashing service and then called the insurer requesting they cancel it claiming she had lost her purse with the cheque inside and was worried her twin sister would find it and cash it. But Chelsea had not lost the cheque and has no twin sister. This resulted in the cheque cashing service losing £1042.17.
The 25-year-olds’ came unstuck in April 2014 when MORE TH>N identified the claims as fraudulent and made a referral to the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED).
The unit’s investigation led detectives to the Stafford’s home on Oaks Fold Road in Sheffield but Chelsea refused to let the officers in, claiming she was called Kelsea Stubbins. She repeatedly dialled 999 until local police arrived at which point she opened the door. On entering the house the officers were greeted by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Buster. Chelsea was arrested at the premises and Stellio at a local police station.
The pair were subsequently charged with, and pleaded guilty to, conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
City of London Police Detective Constable Paula Doyle, who ran the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department’s investigation, said: “Chelsea and Stellio Stafford systematically defrauded their insurer to get thousands of pounds they were not entitled to.
“Their greed knew no bounds, with the pair even making claims for dogs that did not exist.
“Chelsea drew on her accountancy knowledge to produce authentic-looking invoices for veterinary treatment but their lack of simple medical knowledge contributed to their downfall.
“The couple’s sentence highlights again how the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department is working with industry to bring insurance fraudsters to justice.”
The couple were each given a 12 month custodial sentence suspended for 18 months and a 180 hour unpaid work order. They will also have repay a total of £8,358.50 to the insurer, £1042.17 to the cheque cashing service, £350 court costs and a £200 fee or face going back to court.
Adele Sumner, Head of Fraud Intelligence, MORE TH>N: "This is a shocking case of fraud. It highlights the lengths that people will go to exhort money from their insurers.
"At MORE TH>N we take all forms of insurance fraud seriously. Far from being a victimless crime it pushes up premiums for honest customers.
"We will continue to investigate and prosecute all fraudulent claimants and welcome the sentences and penalties that courts are now handing down. We hope these act as an effective deterrent to would be insurance fraudsters."
The sentence handed to Stellio also covered a separate offence of being in possession of an offensive weapon, namely a baseball bat, in relation to a South Yorkshire Police case.