Fraud prevention and theft recovery

Driver validation

There are several ways in which this can help avoid errors and fraud:

• Verification of the driver’s address between the application, licence and vehicle registration
• Verification of the driving licence (together with pass certificate in the case of a provisional licence)
• Verification of the driver’s ID, and proof of no-claims discount

Vehicle verification

Installation of the tracking system gives a perfect opportunity to carry out a basic inspection of the vehicle for evidence of potential fraud or risk of loss which may not have been obvious from the insurance application. Here are some of the items which are reviewed as part of the vehicle inspection.

• Our installers look for obvious signs of pre-existing damage to the bodywork or windscreen, helping to avoid the potential for subsequent fraudulent claims.
• We agree with you the types of modifications which you would normally permit as part of your insurance policy terms, and inspect the vehicle against those criteria.
• Prior to installation our installers carry out an inspection of the interior, dashboard and main electrical controls and ask the policyholder to agree our findings – for your protection.
• Our installer will also take and submit a photo of the vehicle if required, and we will not proceed with the installation if any of your requirements are not met.

Tamper detection and management information

Our management information (MI) portal provides us and you with a full suite of reports on installation and policy status, including the following:

• Movement with ignition off: Our TCSV11 (see the section on Telematics Technology) monitors battery voltage for alternator activity in the event that a driver attempts to disconnect ignition monitoring. Our reports also highlight vehicles which show movement with no engine activity. We monitor and investigate this, but also provide you with reports and alerts.
• GPS signal issues: We monitor all tracking systems for GPS signal issues, or for any attempt by a driver to block the system. The tracking system logs signal strength on each satellite channel in terms of signal to noise ratios, and we carry out any service actions necessary. If we feel the problem could be due to tampering then we would report this to you.
• Unusual activity: This covers a wide range of patterns of behaviour, but we would expect to define the criteria for this with you and provide reports from our SQL databases accordingly.
• GPRS communication issues: The TCSV11 tracking system provides regular health-check updates to our servers, even when stationary. In the absence of these, we will contact the young driver on your behalf to check whether the vehicle has been taken off the road or if the battery has been disconnected.
• Battery disconnection: In the event that the main power supply from the vehicle is disconnected, the TCSV11 tracking system is capable of sending a “battery disconnection” alert to our systems, and this is flagged up on the MI portal. It does this using the power from its own rechargeable battery.

Theft recovery

Having your car stolen is distressing, particularly if it is the first one you have owned. We operate a secure call centre, 24 hours a day and 365 days of the year, to provide a professional recovery service for your clients – taking the hassle out of getting the car back. Here are the simple steps your client will follow:

• Report the vehicle as stolen to the police and obtain a crime reference number.
• Call the Quartix theft line on the number shown on the policy, quoting the crime reference number.
• Leave it to us to liaise with the police and have the vehicle recovered.

Our recovery rates have averaged 90% over the past year, and our success rate over the past six years has been over 88%. Our secure call centre has links to all of the police forces in the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland.