The Association of British Insurers has announced recently that motor insurance fraud has taken a staggering leap this year due in large part to the credit crunch. Strapped for cash, drivers are turning to fraudulent claims as a way to get some much needed dollars. The risks associated with making a fraudulent insurance claim seems to be worth it for those drivers who report their vehicle damaged or even stolen.

The amount of these claims has jumped to 70% over the last four years which is alarming to industry experts. Largely due to a record amount of consumer debt and the lack of available credit lines this jump translates to 24,000 false claims from the 14,000 recorded four years ago.