The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) has seen the renewal of its official designation as a Specified Anti-Fraud Organisation (SAFO) by the Home Office. Established by the Serious Crime Act 2007, the objective of the SAFO designation is to enable organisations to share important data for the purposes of preventing fraud. The designation ‘rubber stamps’ the IFB‟s role in fraud detection and disruption.
The IFB uses its SAFO status to help establish data sharing arrangements with law enforcement agencies, including police and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, and regulators, including the Ministry of Justice. Access to such information, in addition to that from its insurance customer-base, provides the IFB with a unique data-set that no other single organisation can match, the body claims.
Stephen Dalton, IFB Head of Intelligence says: “At the IFB we believe that information is the key to combatting fraud. Our SAFO status helps us to collaborate with other like-minded organisations and access the kind of data that puts us at the very forefront of the industry’s fight back against fraudsters.”
And Kevin Rousell, head of the Claims Management Regulation Unit at the Ministry of Justice, said: “We have formed a close and effective working relationship with the IFB over the last seven years, which has led to action on a number of frauds. We welcome this confirmation of their status and will continue to actively work with them and other partner agencies to identify and tackle organised crime groups involved in national insurance fraud.”
About the IFB
The IFB is one of six organisations with SAFO status. The others are: CIFAS, the Insurance Fraud Investigators Group (IFIG), Equifax, Experian and National Hunter. The IFB launched in July 2006 towards the detection and prevention of organised, cross-industry fraud, supporting the wider Association of British Insurers (ABI) industry fraud strategy. The IFB leads or co-ordinates the insurance sector response to the identification of criminal fraud networks and works with the police and law enforcement.
Visit www.insurancefraudbureau.org.
