Man jailed for holiday sickness fraud

We have welcomed the sentencing of a man who encouraged people to falsely claim they had fallen ill on holiday in order to claim compensation.

Brian Cromby, 34 years, of Thornside Walk, Gateacre appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday 26 July where he had already pleaded guilty to aiding or abetting fraud by false representation on 5 May 2017.

He has been jailed for 12 months.

Cromby encouraged people who had been on package holidays to falsely claim they had fallen sick as a result of the food they had eaten or due to the conditions of the accommodation they stayed in.

He profited from the fraudulent claims by taking a fee for referring people to solicitors who then progressed their compensation claims.

Clive Myerscough, Merseyside Police Fraud Investigator, said: “Cromby is a calculating individual who actively persuaded others, many of whom had no previous convictions, to become involved in his criminal enterprise.”

“On one occasion he even stooped as low as enlisting people to hand out business cards advertising his service at a charity boxing match that was raising money for cancer patients.

“It has been widely reported that there has been a sharp increase in the number of people claiming they had fallen ill on holiday, and it is suspected many are fraudulent claims.

“People like Cromby who encourage people to make fraudulent claims against the travel industry also risk undermining genuine holiday sickness claims.

“I want to thank the journalists who reported his offending and assisted our investigation in bring Cromby to justice today.

“I hope his sentencing sends a clear message to anyone thinking about making a fraudulent claim puts themselves at risk of prosecution, a criminal record and even time in jail.

"If someone believes they have fallen victim to any kind of fraud then I would urge them to contact Action Fraud via their website www.actionfraud.police.uk, direct message Merseyside Police on Twitter @MerPolCC or call the confidential Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.”