Crooked Vet Jailed For £226K Pet Insurance Scam

A vet, who made fifty-three bogus pet insurance claims during a £226,000 fraud, was yesterday caged for two years.

Matthew Morgan, 38, (pictured) created bogus invoices for treatment and operations on cats and dogs at his practice in Blue Bell Hill, Kent.

He claimed pay-outs from Direct Line, Petplan, Pet Protect and one other company for treatment between September, 2009 and December, last year.

Morgan, of Foxboro Road, Redhill, Surrey used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle, which included expensive holidays and electronics,

He came unstuck in October, last year when his one and only claim to Direct Line, for surgery on a cat called ‘Jo’, was identified as fraudulent and referred to the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), kicking-off a criminal investigation.

In an interview with IFED detectives on New Year’s Eve, Morgan admitted that the claim to Direct Line was phony but said he had not made any other fake claims.

However, fifteen days later Morgan telephoned Pet Protect to chase up a claim he had made for surgery on cat called ‘Dizzie’.

IFED detectives arrested Morgan at his home and executed searches at the address and new work place – a veterinary practice in St. Leonards-On-Sea, East Sussex – where they found documents that led to them uncover other fraudulent claims.

He pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to four counts of fraud by false representation, in that he made fifty-three fraudulent claims to four insurers with a total value of £226,360.67.

Detective Sergeant Craig Mullish, who ran IFED’s investigation, said: “Morgan was paid a good salary to help sick animals, but over three years he systematically abused his position to claim massive payouts for surgeries on pets that did not exist.

“His sole motivation was to maintain an image of being a successful vet through the portrayal of an extravagant lifestyle.

“Morgan’s sentence highlights again how IFED is working with industry to bring insurance fraudsters to justice wherever they are and whatever they do.”

A Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons spokesperson said: “We have been liaising with IFED about this case for some time.

“Now that a conviction against Matthew Morgan has been secured and sentence handed down, we will raise an allegation against him and invite him to respond.

“The case, as a conviction, will then be passed immediately to our Preliminary Investigation Committee, which will be able to consider the details of the case and decide the most appropriate course of action.”