Coventry man jailed for brother's Covid death fraud claim

Daniel Banete took out the policies between 16 and 21 July 2020, but his brother had passed away in hospital on 8 July, City of London Police said

A man who tried to fraudulently claim £600,000 in life insurance payments after the death of his brother from Covid-19 has been jailed.

Daniel Banete, of Lillington Road, Coventry, took out four different life insurance policies in his brother's name, after he died in Romania in 2020.

He provided fake death certificates to insurance companies, police said.

Banete was jailed for three years after previously admitting fraud charges at Warwick Crown Court.

The 30-year-old took out the policies between 16 and 21 July 2020, but his brother had passed away in hospital on 8 July, City of London Police said.

Death certificates he provided to the insurance companies contained different dates of death between November 2020 and January 2021.

'Cynical intention'

The scam came to light after Aviva, one of the insurers Banete had taken out a policy with, arranged for a Romanian member of staff to speak to the hospital Banete's brother died at and they confirmed the correct date of death, police added.

A search of his house revealed policy documents relating to the life insurance policies for the four insurance companies as well as his brother's genuine birth, marriage and death certificates.

And a file of fake death certificates was also found, which showed a date of death as 10 November 2020, and it was these documents that were sent to the insurers when the claims were made.

Det Con Ian Cambridge, from the City of London Police's insurance fraud enforcement department, said: "Banete took out these policies after his brother died with the cynical intention of making financial gain for himself.

"He altered official documents to intentionally deceive the insurers and the overwhelming evidence against him shows that he knew exactly what he was doing."

Banete previously pleaded guilty to eight charges of fraud by false representation.

He was also ordered to pay a £190 victim surcharge, police said.