A loss adjuster who abused his position by submitting a series of fake insurance claims worth over £160,000, including using his wife’s name and that of his deceased father-in-law, has been jailed. Justin Boydell, pictured, aged 51 of Careg Llyd, Bridgend, but formerly of Brundall, appeared at Norwich Crown Court on 16 December, where he was jailed for four years and four months. Boydell had previously admitted to seven offences of fraud by false representation and one offence of transferring/converting/concealing criminal property. He also asked for a further nine offences of fraud by false representation to be taken into consideration by the court. The Eastern Daily Press detailed that prosecutor Lucia Coerman said he had been a senior loss adjuster at Criterion Adjusters working on claims to the likes of Aviva and Home & Legacy. Suspicions In a statement, Norfolk Constabulary set out that Boydell’s wife had flagged suspicions in July 2023 when she discovered a bank account set up using her maiden name without her permission, as well as documents relating to an insurance claim at her late father’s home, which she knew nothing about. The case was referred to the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit and further investigations with Norfolk officers revealed the scale of the fraud. The police listed that his three main methods were: Using stolen identities of relatives to open bank accounts and email accounts to take out home insurance policies. Boydell would then submit high-value claims and engineer the circumstances, so he was appointed as the loss adjuster. He would then fabricate emails, reports and invoices to support the payout. While carrying out his loss adjuster role on genuine claims such as fires and floods, Boydell fabricated additional work that never occurred. He produced fake invoices and correspondence to support a payout to fictional contractors, subsequently verifying the work and authorising the insurance company to pay the invoices. Instead of returning recovered items or selling them on behalf of the insurers, Boydell kept items for himself. This included a Rolex Submariner watch worth £9,350 and a piece of artwork worth £2,750 found hanging in his home. Eight years of fraud His dishonesty resulted in receiving fraudulent payments of over £160,000, which he used to over-pay his mortgage and earn interest via various savings accounts. The police confirmed that Boydell’s fraudulent activities spanned eight years from September 2015 and extended to writing glowing reviews from his fictitious clients hailing his professional, proactive, and sympathetic service – feedback that boosted his bonus payments. In an interview when the allegations were put to him, he said: “I think you have it pretty spot on,” and admitted to his part in each of the frauds. Upsetting and deceitful In a Victim Personal Statement his wife described the impact of his offending. She said: “My world came crashing down in 2023, when I opened a folder in Justin’s home office containing paperwork which were bank accounts opened in my name and his step-mother’s name without our knowledge and consent. “Amongst the paperwork I found fraudulent insurance claims, not only in my name, but even more upsetting and deceitful were false claims made in my deceased father’s name. “I have struggled to get my head around this and my father is no longer here to defend himself or explain how this has impacted him. “This has also had an impact on not only me, but my family as a whole, we are all just shocked. He showed no regard for family members by using their identities and went to great lengths to avoid detection “I still cannot understand why someone who cared for and said they loved me unconditionally would do such a cruel thing. “I will never understand how my husband could inflict so much pain and hurt on both myself and my family using my late father’s name, I feel like I have let them down. “His actions have ruined the course of my life. It will take me a long time to get this back on track; I’m not sure I ever will.” Elaborate fraud PC Victoria Church, who led the investigation with support from ERSOU’s regional economic crime unit, said the scale of Boydell’s offending and the lengths he would go to cover his tracks was unparalleled. She said: “Firstly I would like to thank the victim for her courage in supporting this investigation, without her we would not have been able to bring Boydell to justice. “Boydell was highly qualified with chartered status and the only one working for his company with sign-off authority for Norfolk. “He thought he was being clever by creating an elaborate fraud deceiving his employers and insurance companies – but was ultimately discovered and thoroughly investigated. “He showed no regard for family members by using their identities and went to great lengths to avoid detection, inventing a string of companies usually naming them after variations of his wife’s maiden name. “However, once the fraud came to light, we were able to gather all the evidence linking multiple accounts and show the lengths he would go to to make personal gain for himself. “Although he was not always as diligent in covering his tracks, with a recovered painting found hanging on the wall in his house proving he believed he was above being found out.” Confiscation The case will now be subject to confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 with the police citing these proceedings will ensure the financial benefit obtained by Boydell from his offending is removed. Carl Mather, senior special investigator at Aviva, said: “Justin Boydell’s actions were an abuse of his position at a trusted supplier. He has paid a high price for committing fraud, trading in his future career as a professional loss adjuster for the short-lived gains from his fraudulent acts. “We continually seek to improve our fraud controls and have implemented additional measures to protect Aviva and its customers as a result of this incident.”
