Morocco: Experts and mechanics at the heart of an insurance fraud

The alert was raised by an insurance company intrigued by the recurrence of claims files systematically coming from the same repair shops. By cross-checking its data with other insurers, the company uncovered the existence of many similar files. According to Assabah, this structured network included two damage assessment experts, garage owners, mechanics and automotive electricians.

The modus operandi was based on systematic overcharging of repairs. The inflated amounts were then certified by the two complicit experts before being submitted for compensation. This fraudulent system would have allowed the undue collection of funds for several dozen files. The initial estimates assess the total financial loss at around 1.5 million dirhams.

This case shows structural abuses in the sector, where files related to fictitious or fraudulent accidents would represent about 10% of the total volume of compensation claims. The investigation also revealed that some experts flout the regulations by systematically delegating their missions to collaborators without personally intervening. "Yet this practice exposes these professionals to legal proceedings," the daily notes.

Given the seriousness of the facts, precautionary measures have been taken, including the suspension of several employees within the expert offices as part of internal investigations. Thorough audits are currently being conducted to precisely quantify the extent of the damage and review suspicious reimbursements. Investigators do not rule out possible internal complicity within the insurance companies themselves to facilitate these diversions.