Pet owners killing their pets for cash

18th February 2020

It has emerged that dishonest claims on pet policies quadrupled last year. It appears that pet owners have been injuring or even killing their pets to secure insurance payouts.

The latest figures from the Association of British Insurers showed there was approximately £2m worth of pet insurance fraud detected last year, compared to £420,000 in 2009.

Reported examples include getting rid of an animal by selling or even killing it, injuring pets in fake accidents, and disappearing animals to satisfy policies that pay out if a pet is lost or stolen.

In some cases, insurers even believe that vets may have colluded with pet owners to claim for expensive treatments that were not required.

A report in The Telegraph revealed that insurers are beginning to detect these sophisticated fraudulent claims within the pet insurance market.