A conman who raked in more than £75,000 by making bogus travel insurance claims for flights across the world has been jailed for 16 months.
Joshua Moorcroft, 27, dreamt up excuses including car accidents on the way to airports or disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic to fraudulently claim the huge sum of cash.
Moorcroft took out a multi-trip worldwide travel insurance policy, underwritten by Aviva, in October 2019.
Nine days later, he made a claim for a missed flight from Manchester to New York, reporting his cab broke down on the way to the airport due to an exploded tyre.
Moorcroft made another claim for a missed flight two months later, stating he did not make his flight from Manchester to Qatar, as he was "involved in a car accident on the way to the airport".
He even provided a screenshot of an email that was supposedly from one of the police officers who attended the scene.
The conman then made three claims for missed trips to Dubai and Las Vegas, following a fracture to his hand in February 2022.
He provided documents from his local hospital to back his scam.
Moorcroft made 15 claims with six different insurance companies before Aviva grew suspicious and contacted the City of London Police's Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED).
He was arrested by IFED at his partner's home in October 2020, where officers seized multiple pieces of evidence, including a phone and laptop.
They found his claims with Aviva and five other insurance companies relating to multiple trips to Dubai, Barbados, Los Angeles, Rhodes, Tenerife, and Turkey.
The trips had been cancelled for a number of reasons such as Covid-19, redundancy and injury, he said.
Moorcroft, of Moss Gate Road, Liverpool, used the names of his partner, his partner's parents and former work colleagues in his bogus claims.
He admitted 15 counts of fraud by false representation and was jailed for 16 months at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday 22 August 2022.
Detective Constable Justin Hawes, from the City of London Police's Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department, said: 'Although Moorcroft immediately admitted to the first five offences when interviewed by IFED, he wasted police time by denying that he had submitted any other claims. A review of his devices found that this was certainly not the case, and that he had in fact orchestrated a further 10 bogus claims.
'Moorcroft has shown very little regard in terms of who he has implicated whilst committing these crimes, including his family, former colleagues, partner, and even her family.
'I don't doubt that he has put all of these innocent parties through a lot of stress by doing so. Hopefully this result will force him to reflect on his actions and the impact they have had on those around him.;'
Carl Mather, Manager, Special Investigations Unit at Aviva, said: 'Aviva welcomes the sentencing of Joshua Moorcroft, which underscores the serious nature of insurance fraud.
"As a business, we value our customers and go to great lengths to reduce the impact that claims fraud has on policy premiums - particularly at a time when so many are facing real financial challenges.
'The Court has recognised the 'serious and cynical' nature of Mr Moorcroft's offending and he is also the subject of a Proceeds of Crime investigation which is aimed at identifying and seizing recoverable assets on behalf of Aviva.
'Mr Moorcroft's greed has now left him with a criminal record, a tarnished reputation and an uncertain future. Aviva will continue to invest in counter fraud capability and is resolutely committed to safeguarding honest customers by taking positive action whenever fraud is detected.'
