A 38-year-old woman who falsely claimed her mother suffered a series of strokes in order to pocket almost £30,000 in income protection payments has been jailed for 16 months.
Natalie Busbridge of Astwood, Newport Pagnell [pictured] was sentenced on Friday 18 March at the Old Bailey having previously pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud.
Busbridge's fraud was discovered after she mistakenly sent a set of forged documents, linked to one of the policies to another insurer she was also claiming from.
The frauds were investigated by officers from the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), part of the City of London Police.
Between March 2011 and February 2013, Busbridge received at total of £27,913 in insurance payouts after making a series of fraudulent claims on various income protection policies.
The first claim was made in March 2011 against an income protection policy with Cardif Pinnacle.
Busbridge submitted forged documents that stated her mother had suffered a stroke and had become her full-time carer, forcing her to leave her employment.
She also sent forged letters from what appeared to be her mother's doctor and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to support the claim. She subsequently received twelve monthly payments of £1,000 from the policy.
In August 2011, Busbridge took out another income protection policy with Allianz, which was administered by Wessex Group.
She claimed against the policy in January 2012, again claiming that her mother had recently suffered a stroke, causing her to quit her job.
The claim was processed and Busbridge received just over £12,000 to cover her lost ‘income'.
In June 2012, Busbridge took out another income protection policy administered by Trent Services.
She submitted a similar claim in November 2012 stating her mother had suffered a stroke and that she had to stop working to care for her.
However, the claim was rejected because not enough time had elapsed from the inception of the policy.
Busbridge took another policy with Ageas, which was again administered by Trent Services.
She submitted a claim against the policy in January 2013, submitting forged documents to support a story that she injured her hand and was unable to continue working as a result.
Forged payslips were submitted, showing her ‘earnings' for September to November 2012.
However, the fraud came to light when a claim continuation form, which contained details of the claim being administered by Trent Services was emailed to Wessex Group by mistake.
Busbridge was arrested on 18 February 2014 at her home address.
She admitted that her mother did not have any history of stroke and to using forged email addresses to authenticate her work status and ordering rubber stamps for medical and employment documents.
Financial Investigator Simon Styles, from the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department said: "This was a despicable act by Busbridge, who concocted several stories in order to exploit her mother's ill-health for her own financial gain.
"The fact that she set up the first income protection policy when she wasn't even employed shows that from the outset, her intention was to make fraudulent claims.
"However, it was her own greed and hubris that led to her being caught and she is now facing the consequences of her actions."
Further reading
Couple sentenced for £1m life insurance fraud after husband faked his own death
Health insurers reveal court cases in the fight against fraud
