We know times can be tough, and the urge to add a little extra to your insurance claim can be tempting. Maybe it’s inflating the real value of an item or sneaking in a few extras – that little voice saying, “Go ahead, no one will know,” might seem convincing, but it’s costing all of us more in the long run.

We don’t want to sound like your old school teacher, but this needs to stop.

If you’re making a travel claim, it might seem okay to add a few extra items that weren’t really damaged or lost, or to replace that lower cost item that was lost, stolen or damaged with something more expensive. But opportunistic insurance fraud like this goes against our values as a Christian organisation and affects everyone, including the Adventist church.

This dishonest practice leads to something called ‘social inflation.’ When insurers set prices and terms for a new period, they consider the total value of claims from the previous year. The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) reports that in 2017 insurers detected $280 million in fraudulent claims. The IAC confirms that this adds to the cost of insurance for all consumers.

Consistent overclaiming by some claimants also gives rise to more stringent investigative practice when assessing losses. Assessors will reasonably ask for key documents to substantiate a loss, and any evidence that you can provide during the claim process is to your benefit.

Our travel cover terms are pretty generous, and the insurer will always aim to pay out legitimate claims. We believe the majority of our church travellers are honest and doing the right thing, so RMS always looks for reasons to present a claim to the insurer in the most favourable light, whether it’s a travel claim or church property damage. So to us it seems totally unnecessary and unreasonable that a few travellers feel the need to inflate their claims.

So, unless you enjoy price increases, only claim what you truly deserve. Claiming ‘a little extra’ might give you a short-term gain, but it hits the finances of every person and every church, including those struggling to make ends meet. This impacts ministry and mission.

We want to continue providing great value travel cover for church travellers sharing the Good News of Jesus’ soon return.

Until then, let’s keep it honest and fair for everyone.