A man from London has been jailed for trying to defraud two insurance companies by using a number of aliases.
Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) after Hastings Direct and 1ST CENTRAL suspected that claims he had submitted were fraudulent.
Choudhury was sentenced to six months imprisonment on Monday 14 February 2022 at Inner London Crown Court. He previously pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation in August 2021.
Detective Sergeant Jamie Kirk, from the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), said:
“Choudhury really has carved a name for himself as a serial fraudster. He was sentenced for similar offences back in 2017, however he clearly did not learn his lesson. It is always frustrating to see a criminal back in court, but hopefully a stint in prison will finally teach Choudhury that no matter how many names you hide behind, you will be caught out in the end.”
Choudhury took out a car insurance policy with Hastings Direct in August 2017, using the name ‘Mario Valentino’. He stated on his application that he had no criminal convictions and nine years’ no claims bonus.
Hastings Direct received a claim notification form in October 2017 from a third party reporting a collision involving Choudhury a few days prior. The insurer reached out to Choudhury as they had suspicions that the claim may have been fraudulent, but could not reach him on multiple occasions.
Choudhury contacted Hastings Direct around two weeks later and denied being involved in the reported collision. However, he said he had been involved in another collision and had settled this with the third party himself.
Choudhury’s silver Audi was examined by a vehicle assessor the following month. The assessment concluded that the vehicle could not have been involved in the collision reported by the third party in October 2017, as the minor damage to the vehicle was not consistent with the report.
An investigator from Hastings Direct visited Choudhury to take a statement in January 2018 regarding the seemingly bogus third-party report. During this visit, Choudhury flagged an unrelated incident, claiming that his car was damaged whilst parked outside a property overnight in September 2017.
Choudhury alleged that a note was left on his car by a witness named ‘Jamail Caan’, who had seen the vehicle hit his car and then drive off. Choudhury then reported the collision to the police and discovered that registration of the car was linked to a policy with 1ST CENTRAL.
The claim with 1ST CENTRAL raised concerns for Hastings Direct, due to discrepancies between Choudhury’s story and their records.
Choudhury contacted 1ST CENTRAL to report the collision. He described the damage to the vehicle, stating that “the whole of the front is completely off the vehicle and left on the roadside”.
1ST CENTRAL made multiple attempts to contact the policyholder without success. While he liaised with the insurer and waited for the outcome, Choudhury moved the car into storage and had work completed on the vehicle by an independent body repair shop. Choudhury provided 1ST CENTRAL with an invoice for repair and storage from a company in Essex, totalling £2,250. This invoice was in the name of ‘Carlos Doir’.
Choudhury told 1ST CENTRAL that his car was in storage until 20th December, which did not correspond with the record Hastings Direct had of one of their vehicle assessors examining his car on a London road on 7th December.
1ST CENTRAL questioned the validity of the claim Choudhury had submitted to them, leading the case being forwarded onto their investigation team. Enquiries revealed that ‘Mario Valentino’ – the name Choudhury had submitted this claim under – had the same date of birth as ‘Carlos Doir’ and ‘Jamail Caan’, the supposed witness to the collision.
The 1ST CENTRAL policyholder was eventually reached. He confirmed that he had not been involved in a collision and had only been made aware of the alleged accident when contacted by the insurer.
IFED made enquires with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), which uncovered a series of names changes on Choudhury’s driving licence, including the names Mario Valentino, Carlos Doir and Jamail Caan.
Further checks on the Police National Computer (PNC) linked Choudhury to 17 aliases, as well previous convictions in 2017 for similar offences in failing to disclose information to insurers with a view to gain. Choudhury was also found to have a number of convictions for driving whilst disqualified and other motoring offences.
When interviewed by officers, Choudhury initially answered no comment to all questions, but later attempted to give an unclear explanation.
Matthew Stevens, Counter Fraud Director at Hastings Direct said:
“Working closely with the City of London Police and other insurers is crucial in bringing fraudsters to justice, so that we can protect all innocent road users. I am delighted with the outcome in this case. Hastings Direct will continue to invest in leading edge technology to ensure we are at the forefront in the battle against fraud.”
Paul Priestley, Counter Fraud Director at 1ST CENTRAL, added:
“Fraud isn’t a victimless crime. We know it can have a serious impact on honest policyholders. That’s why we’ve invested significantly in our counter fraud capabilities over the last couple of years. We were pleased to help the authorities in catching this serial fraudster and will continue to do everything we can to protect our customers.”