Industry experts are advising travellers who make an insurance claim to provide their insurer with as much information as they can.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has dismissed recent reports that have suggested giving an insurer a great amount of detail about missing items on a claim form could be an indication of a fraudulent claim .
Malcolm Tarling of the ABI said: “Insurers do not automatically assume that a neat, detailed informative claim form means the claim is in any way fraudulent!” Mr Tarling also said that even though insurers are duty bound to investigate any claims that may appear to be suspicious, this should not prevent holidaymakers from approaching their insurer.
He added: “This should not dissuade people from supplying the insurer with as much information as they have because, providing the claim is genuine, it will ensure that the claim is handled as quickly as possible,” he said.
In the first half of 2007, claims for lost luggage rose by 85 per cent.