A woman from London has been sentenced after attempting to defraud her insurer through a fraudulent life insurance claim worth £397,153.
Thuile Bhebhe, 51, reported that her husband had died in Zimbabwe in August 2016, submitting false documents to her insurer, Aviva, to substantiate her claim.
Discrepancies in the paperwork submitted by Mrs Bhebhe raised the insurance company’s suspicions, leading them to carry out further queries into the case.
Simple checks quickly revealed that her husband was alive and well, and was in fact, working his shift as a nurse at a London hospital on the day he was alleged to have died thousands of miles away.
Mrs Bhebhe of Hayes End Road, Hayes, was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on 15 March 2021, to two years imprisonment suspended for two years and 100 hours of community service, with a twenty-five day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.
She had previously pleaded guilty at the City of London Magistrates Court in November 2018.
The City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), who led the investigation, first became aware of Mrs Bhebhe’s fraud following a referral from Aviva.
Detective Constable James Rafiq, from the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department, said:
“Mrs Bhebhe tried to exploit Aviva and steal nearly £400,000 by shamelessly claiming her husband had died. Although she has shown remorse, these fraudulent actions have tainted years of commendable work as NHS nurses for both her and her husband.
“Thanks to Aviva’s diligence when initially reviewing the claim, and their swift action in referring it to IFED for further investigation, Mrs Bhebhe’s ridiculous lie was exposed and she has been rightly punished.”
In August 2016, Mrs Bhebhe contacted Aviva to submit the claim on the life insurance policy she shared with her husband, stating that he had died in Zimbabwe a few weeks earlier.
Evidence of his death was presented by Mrs Bhebhe, including a death certificate from a Zimbabwean hospital declaring a pulmonary embolism as the cause of death, alongside an application form for a post-mortem examination, which her husband’s cousin had supposedly registered in Zimbabwe shortly after his death.
During an interview conducted at her home on Aviva’s behalf, Mrs Bhebhe stuck to her fabricated story, even asserting that she had attended her husband’s burial.
Meanwhile, records obtained from the NHS revealed that the husband had worked a long day shift at Charing Cross Hospital on the alleged date of his death in Zimbabwe.
IFED officers executed a search warrant at the Bhebhes’ address, discovering several documents concerning the claim, such as a copy of the fake death certificate submitted to Aviva.
Mrs Bhebhe was later interviewed at a nearby police station, where she admitted in full to the fraud offences.
Jacqueline Kerwood, Claims Governance Manager for Individual Protection at Aviva, said:
“This was a particularly audacious act of dishonesty by Mrs Bhebhe – in attempting to claim nearly £400,000 by falsely claiming her own husband’s death.
“Fortunately, it was quickly detected by our expert investigators, and we’re pleased to see justice has been done.
“This is also very good news for our genuine customers, who ultimately bear the cost of fraud through their premiums.
“In this case however, it’s Mrs Bhebhe who will pay the cost for her crime.”
If you have the Google News app on your phone, don’t forget to follow ‘Emergency Services News’.
Got a story? Send your videos and pictures to contact@emergency-services.news You can also find us on Twitter @ES_News_
Before you go...
WE NEED YOUR HELP.Here at Emergency Services News, we aim to tell you stories that the mainstream media are not interested in reporting. Whilst the MSM love to berate and ridicule the emergency services, who is there to report on the realities of serving on the front line?
Emergency Services News is currently a loss-making entity. But our team of volunteers, all former emergency services personnel, do not do it for the money.
We do it because we are sick and tired of the mainstream media constantly trying to undermine the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep you and your family safe.
How many MSM journalists who speak ill of the emergency services have actually dared to don the uniform and risk their own lives to save the life of a complete stranger? If you would like to help back our mission of reporting on fact-based news, then please consider helping to support us financially.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
