Law firm Browne Jacobson has appointed Scott Bowers as the new
head of its Counter Fraud Unit.
Scott joins the firm from DWF where he was joint head of the
firm's Counter Fraud Unit. Prior to joining DWF in 2008 Bowers held
a number of senior positions within the fraud units at RGI UK Ltd
and Hill Dickinson LLP.
Commenting on the appointment Nick Parsons, Head of the
Insurance & Public Risk Team at Browne Jacobson,
said: "Scott will head the team that works closely with our
growing public and private sector client base.
"His arrival will add significant depth to our existing in-house
capability and his expertise in developing front-end counter fraud
detection systems will be invaluable in helping clients keep one
step ahead of the game."
Fraud is estimated to cost the insurance industry over £1
billion a year on personal lines business alone and according to
the Association of British Insurers every UK policy holder pays 6%
on their insurance premiums as a result of the cost of fraudulent
activity.
The Audit Commission's recent report 'Protecting the public
purse' highlighted the key fraud risks and pressures facing
councils. According to the report housing tenancy fraud could be
tying up at least 50,000 council and housing association properties
and council tax payers could be losing almost £2m a week to
fraudsters claiming benefits they are not entitled to.
Scott Bowers added: "Whilst both the public and private sectors
have made significant inroads in seeking to tackle this growing
problem, much more can be done.
"Being reactive is no longer an option and organisations need to
place far greater emphasis on prevention. We will be developing a
bespoke counter fraud offering for our existing and new clients
that will include a robust screening valuation service that can be
used as a core part of any internal and external
investigation."