SRA personal injury fraud warning

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has fired a warning shot against practitioners who might be tempted into fraud in personal injury cases. A report by the Insurance Fraud Task Force in January called for more to be done about bogus insurance claims. The SRA has drawn up a list of areas where there may be compliance concerns, including: cold calling; referral fees; acting without client approval; paying damages to third parties; and bringing claims without clients’ knowledge. Paul Philip, SRA chief executive, says the consequences of failing to adhere to the code of conduct could be “severe”.