The Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund of Namibia has recorded nine suspected fraudulent claims valued at N.dollars 3.6 million over the past five years.

A media statement issued Monday by the MVA said of the nine cases the actual loss amounts to N.dollars 874 406, of which the majority are related to medical treatment of persons who would otherwise not qualify as beneficiaries.

It said four cases have been reported to the Namibian Police Force while five are yet to be reported, following preliminary internal investigations.

The statement further indicated the fund was able to save N.dollars 2.7 million through its internal fraud detection mechanisms and recovered N.dollars 48 000.

“Historically, fraudsters were specifically attracted to the cash grants, especially the injury grant as well as payments towards loss of income and loss of support, however, due to the fund’s resolve to treat people in the shortest possible time, we have seen a surge in medical related fraud due to facts that have been tampered with from the scene of the crash,” it noted.

It said the fraudulent cases include making false statements regarding injuries and the nature of the crash to get more access to medical treatment and more payout as well as concealing accidents’ facts to avoid limitation to certain benefits and falsification of income statements.

The statement further noted that over the years, MVA Fund has invested in detection mechanisms through various risk mitigating strategies including capacity building, as well as the claims management system that assists in this regard, and have seen a significant reduction in fraudulent activities after payment.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency