Direct Line travel insurance reveals lies

New research by Direct Line travel insurance has revealed how dishonest British tourists are.

According to the company one in five Brits who claimed on their travel insurance in February 2005 made false requests. Of these, five percent added items to the list of lost goods, while 13 per cent inflated the value of their claim.

The most common item to be claimed against falsely was a camera, making up 27 per cent of exaggerated claims, followed by clothes and cash both at 13 per cent.

Commenting on the findings Chris Price, of Direct Line Travel Insurance, said: "As a major insurer we deal with thousands of travel claims on a yearly basis, the majority of which are authentic.

"However the results of our research are disturbing and it's worrying to see how many dishonest claims are made. We would urge people to think twice before carrying out insurance fraud though as it ultimately affects the price all policyholders pay for their travel insurance."

Of those who made false claims 24 per cent did so by £100 or more, while eight per cent claimed for over £400 that they were not entitled to.