Insurance: Fraud

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of insurance ghost broking conducted through social media and messaging platforms?

• The Home Office does not hold data on the level of insurance ghost broking conducted through social media and messaging platforms.
• Reports of insurance broker fraud made to Action Fraud increased by 32% to 775 reports in the year ending September 2024 compared to 2023, and by a further 12% to 870 in the year ending September 2025 compared to 2024.
• The FCA reported that almost half of young drivers surveyed in April 2026 had purchased insurance through social media or messaging apps and highlighted the growing threat posed by ghost brokers operating through those channels.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle that form of fraud?

In October 2024, the Home Office launched the Insurance Fraud Charter committing insurers to identify and disrupt illegal insurance intermediaries and the websites used to promote bogus insurance products.

We support industry-led campaigns, including the Insurance Fraud Bureau’s Avoid Ghost Brokers campaign, and work with partners including the City of London Police’s Fraud Enforcement Department to disrupt organised insurance fraud networks.

In December 2025, the cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce published a package of measures to tackle uninsured driving, fraud and ghost broking, and support a more stable motor insurance market.

The Government has also regulated social media platforms through the Online Safety Act to do more to stop their platforms from being used as a vector for fraud. From around 2027, this will also include fraudulent adverts for the largest platforms.