As scammers become more sophisticated, it’s important for organisations like RACQ to not only provide education to members on how to be more vigilant but also to protect their businesses from the growing threat.

This is exactly what RACQ’s Counter Fraud and Investigations Unit did in a bid to combat a spike in fraudulent claims being driven by third parties.

The elaborate scheme targeted people involved in genuine motor accidents by designing a ‘click to call ad’ on the internet which appeared to belong to RACQ.

Instead of reaching their insurer’s claims department, they were unknowingly diverted to an overseas call centre, where manipulative agents posed as RACQ representatives and pursued inflated claims against the Club.

This type of fraud, also known as search engine ad spoofing, increases the cost of claims by as much as 60% and targets people during a particularly vulnerable time – often at the roadside just after a motor vehicle accident.

The work on this project received international recognition, being awarded the IAATI’s award for Investigations Team of the Year.

RACQ’s Manager Counter Fraud and Investigations, Glenn Rowe said his team’s work with Google has not only seen great results for RACQ but also for insurers around the world.

“When we met with Google in the United States, our intent was to highlight the impact this scam was having on genuine consumers and how vulnerable people were most at risk,” Mr Rowe said.

“Google was very receptive and worked with our team here in Queensland to change the format of these online ads resulting in a massive win for RACQ, the insurance sector and the community.

“While this has not solved the problem, it has made a huge difference, with our team reporting around an 80% reduction in overall claims linked to search engine ad spoofing.”

Unfortunately, this isn’t the only type of fraud Queenslanders are susceptible to which is why RACQ continues to educate its 1.7+ million members on the best ways to be scam aware.

Mr Rowe said the insurance industry is also seeing an increase in other types of fraud which is why RACQ makes it a priority to continue educating our members.

“We’re currently seeing an increase in ‘crash for cash’ fraud schemes where organised criminals are targeting innocent motorists by deliberately slamming on the brakes in front of them, to cause an accident so they can claim damage,” he said.

“No matter the situation, scams are always evolving and RACQ is committed to ensuring we’re remaining at the forefront of these issues and doing everything we can to protect our members and our business from this growing threat.”

What to look out for in a potential insurance scam

• If contacted out of the blue, never provide personal or financial information.
• Only make a claim directly through the insurance provider and only use the contact details provided at the point the policy was taken out.
• Take steps to protect personal data from being stolen to help to prevent being targeted.
• Always verify who you are speaking to first when making a claim.
• Ignore unsolicited calls or texts relating to a recent car accident.
• Remember if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.