Matthew Johnson was sentenced to 28 months in prison last December for an insurance fraud scheme that saw him pocket more than £14,000. The fraud involved false claims for the supposed theft of Lego sets, fishing gear, and gaming consoles.
Mr Johnson, from Misterton in Nottinghamshire, submitted four false claims to Axa Insurance between May 2021 and January 2022. These claims related to alleged burglaries at properties in Shetland and Goole, East Yorkshire, where he claimed high-value items including MacBooks, televisions, and collectible Lego sets had been stolen.
Axa raised concerns after identifying inconsistencies in Mr Johnson's documentation, such as the repeated use of the same receipts across different claims and altered invoices. He was ordered by Nottingham Crown Court to repay the money.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) reported that investigators uncovered £1.34 billion of fraud in 2025, marking a 14% increase on the previous year. The average value of a fraudulent claim reached £14,300 last year, the second-highest figure on record.
The ABI and police have warned that insurance fraud contributes to increased premium costs for all customers. Mark Allen, head of fraud and financial crime at the ABI, stated that insurance fraud is a serious crime with consequences including criminal conviction and imprisonment.