Insurance fraudster caught out by Facebook drinking picture

He was caught out when a facial recognition expert was asked to examine a photo on Facebook.

Ashley Copley, 26, from Barnsley was involved in a road collision on the M1 in January 2020 that was described by the driver who drove into him as “very minor”. However, Copley alleged that he was unable to work due to injuries that he’d sustained and filed a claim of £15,000.

Insurers of the other motorist became suspicious and subsequently discovered a photo of Mr Copley drinking with a close associate of his witness. He had denied meeting either before the collision.

Shortly before coming to court, Mr Copley dropped his claim. However, lawyers on behalf of insurers AXA applied to the court for a finding that Mr Copley’s claim had been fundamentally dishonest.

The court hearing was held in December 2022 at Barnsley County Court, where Dr Shelina Jilani - who is an expert in forensic facial recognition - was brought in as an expert witness. She was able to identify 13 points of similarity between Copley’s face and the man in the Facebook photograph.

Deputy District Judge Ben Rose at Barnsley County Court ruled that Mr Copley’s claim was fundamentally dishonest and ordered him to pay the defendant’s costs which were assessed at £51,299.72

Deputy District Judge Rose concluded: “I am satisfied that the claimant has been fundamentally dishonest in all aspects of his claim, except that the vehicles actually collided, every other aspect has been massaged, obfuscated and done so knowingly, in attempt to gain compensation for an accident that was his own fault.”

Chris Walsh, AXA Commercial Claims Director said: “We are pleased to have been able to leverage technology, along with the expertise of specialists, to secure this successful outcome for our customer. AXA continues to fight against insurance fraud in collaboration with our legal partners, ensuring there are consequences for fraudsters.”