People who are caught out trying to rip off insurance companies with false claims will face a fixed counter claim of €532 to cover the cost of the probe, the Dutch insurers association VVV has decided.

Last year insurance firms identified over 8,300 fraudulent claims involving a total of €79m. This, they say, is likely to be a small fraction of the total number.

‘Those who commit fraud will get the bill immediately,’ VVV director Richard Weurding said in a statement. ‘I hope that this will be enough to act as a warning.’

The most common fraud involves vehicle insurance, followed by fire and personal liability. Most registered cases of fraud are committed in Flevoland, Zuid Holland and Limburg, the association figures show.