Dutch men commit insurance fraud more often than women, according to figures released today by the Dutch insurers’ association. The association found that almost 70% of registered fraudsters are men, 25% are female, and the remainder are companies.

Vehicle insurance fraud is the most common form of fraud, followed by fire and liability insurance, with travel insurance in fourth place.

The association found that women favour travel insurance fraud, while men prefer to cheat their vehicle insurance. The average female fraudster is three years younger than her male counterpart.

The provinces of Flevoland, Zuid-Holland and Limburg have the highest proportion of fraudsters in the country.

Know your enemy

The research carried out by the association aims to identify ‘what are the characteristics of a fraudster?’ so insurance fraud can be spotted more easily. In 2014, 21 fraudsters were caught every day, saving €270,000.

The exact amount of fraud committed annually is hard to measure, but runs into the hundreds of millions of euros, according to the association.