My post on car insurance fraud yesterday prompted me to remember a recent scandal on UK TV show Top Gear. I happen to know nothing about cars, but have a husband who knows everything, so we sit down together each week to watch the show and I happened to catch this scandal as it aired.

As usual with Top Gear, the three hosts were issued a challenge: to see which of them could obtain the cheapest car insurance for a young 17 year old male driver. When it dawned on the trio that there is usually no such thing as cheap car insurance for 17 year olds, the three hosts got in touch with the car insurance companies as 'Dad', claiming to be the main driver of the vehicle for purposes of car insurance.

This however, is a fraudulent car insurance practice known as 'fronting'. It occurs when a parent takes out car insurance in their own name (as the main driver), and then adds their child (the actual main driver) onto the car insurance as a secondary driver. By doing so, their car insurance premiums are based on the older, more experienced driver, so tend to result in cheaper car insurance.

The Association of British Insurers has released a statement that this form of car insurance fraud, as well as other general insurance fraud has increased 30% since 2007, a result of the global economic crisis perhaps? But insurers are cracking down on the practice of 'fronting', by rating a premium based on the youngest, most inexperienced driver, regardless of whether they are listed as the main driver on the car insurance or not.

And while the hosts of Top Gear were criticised for publicising this form of car insurance fraud, host Jeremy Clarkson was quick to point out that 'fronting' is a criminal offence, and that if you have a crash, and the car insurance company find out, "they won't pay out, then they can prosecute you and you might go to jail."

Read more about car insurance fraud, and the Top Gear scandal in The Observer.