Fraudulent and spam websites are out there - here our our tips to staying safe online
When you buy temporary car insurance online, you want to make sure you are definitely and legally covered. The unfortunate reality though is that there are websites out there pretending to be legitimate insurance websites.
Falling victim to one of the scams could potentially have some unintended consequences and leave you out of pocket - so it's important to know how to spot the signs, and what to do if you suspect an insurance site of being a scam or fraudulent in any way.
What you need to know - The FCA
The first thing to know is that all legitimate insurance companies are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, or FCA.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the UK's financial services regulator. The FCA maintains a Register which lists all the firms and individuals that are involved with regulated activities.
Covertime Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under Firm Reference Number: 1022738. You can check our information on the FCA’s Register by visiting the FCA website or by contacting the FCA on freephone 0800 111 6768.
Look out for a company's FCA number in the footer of their website and any email correspondence. If you spot a company that is selling insurance without this, then you should avoid using their services. You can report this for the FCA for them to take action.
What is a 'Ghost Broker'?
A 'Ghost Broker' is a term used in the UK for websites selling fake insurance online, and it's particularly becoming a problem within the car insurance industry.
How do Ghost Brokers operate?
Ghost Brokers work by often impersonating legitimate car insurance companies - usually offering cover at a significantly cheaper price, or being able to provide a quote when the real company wasn't able to. They can be clever about it as well, often looking a lot like the company their impersonating, similar domains, and can often falsify policy documents in a convincing enough way. Some very devious Ghost Brokers have been known to take out a real policy from an insurance company, but only to cancel it shortly after and you'll be none the wiser until you're stopped by the police.
What happens if I've accidentally taken out a Ghost policy?
The consequences of taking out a ghost policy accidentally can unfortunately be quite serious.
If you've taken out a false policy it could essentially mean that you are driving without insurance. Driving without valid insurance in place can lead to:
The police seizing your car
6 points on your licence
Possible destruction of your vehicle
A £300 fine
You will also not be covered in the unfortunate event there is an accident and you need to make a claim, so you could be liable for any damages. As well as all of that you'll also need to make sure you pay for a real, legitimate insurance policy.
How do I know if it's Covertime?
Our only website is www.covertime.com. This is our official website and we do also have an app that can be found in Apple and Google stores.
Again, please be aware that our official app is called Covertime.
Our FCA Firm Reference Number is: 1022738
If you come across a website, app or social media account claiming to be Covertime or a variation of our name, please avoid using their services immediately; protect yourself from scammers.
We will also never contact you 'out of the blue' to take out a policy.
Only use the contact details listed on our website, or on our profile in the FCA or BIBA directories.
🚩 🚩 Our Top Tips for spotting red flags 🚩 🚩
1. Does the company have an FCA Firm Reference Number?
If so, you can check their information on the FCA website linked above. If the company does not provide their FRN then we would advise against using the service and report to the FCA directly. You can check out the FCA's official guide to checking if a firm or individual is authorised online.
2. Does the company have a comprehensive Terms of Business?
A company's Terms of Business are legally binding from the point of acceptance. They should be provided each time you use a service to ensure you can review any possible changes. You can check out our terms of business by heading to the footer of our website where all of our legal agreements are clearly provided.
3. Does the company have a Privacy Notice?
A company collecting and processing personal data in the UK must provide a Privacy Notice that details how, where and why they will collect, process and store your personal data. If a website does not have this, you should not part with your personal information. You can check out our Privacy Notice by heading to the footer of our website where all of our legal agreements are clearly provided.
4. Are they asking the right questions?
They could be asking too many questions, or too few questions. For example, if a company is providing you a 'quote' for temporary car insurance, but they haven't asked you basic information like 'duration of cover' or the 'vehicle registration', that should raise some red flags as these are necessary to be able to calculate your insurance premium. Likewise, if you feel like a company is asking too many questions or not relevant questions or even asking for payment information before a quote has been provided, these are red flags. 🚩
Covertime staff will never arrange cover for you and will never ask you to pay for a policy over social media.
5. Do your research.
Do they have an online presence? Check things like Trustpilot reviews, do they have a Google business profile, are they registered on Companies House? If you can't find anything about the company online, this could be a 🚩 You can also search using the British Insurance Brokers’ Association website for a list of all authorised insurance brokers.
Concerned? Get in touch
If you have any questions on any of the above or have spotted something 'off' then don't hesitate to get in touch with our team and we'll be happy to help!
If you've taken out a policy with a company you're not sure about, you can check to see if your car is legitimately insured on the Motor Insurance Database website.
If you think that you’ve been a victim of a ghost broker, you can report your concerns to Action Fraud or on 0300 123 2040.