A fraudster claimed a £50,000 insurance pay-out for not being able to work despite having THREE jobs - including as a wedding photographer and playing guitar in a band.

Adam Reason, 40, was found to have exaggerated his inability to work in order to scam his insurer out of £2,000 a month through an income protection policy.

Despite saying during an assessment he had difficulty doing simple tasks, Reason travelled 275 miles in one day for a freelance photography job.

It was also discovered Reason was being paid to give guitar lessons and around £100 a gig for playing as a lead guitarist in a band.

He was found to have earned nearly £25,000 over the two-year period he claimed to be unable to do his estate agent job.

Had Reason been successful in continuing his claims until the expiration of his policy, Aviva could have suffered a potential loss of £648,000, police said.

The fraudster escaped with a suspended prison sentence on Monday (Feb 15).

He first contacted his insurer in November 2016 to claim on his policy, stating he was unable to work his job as an estate agent due to illness - confirming he was not getting any other form of income.

The insurer arranged for Reason to have a medical assessment, in which he explained the impact of his condition, alleging an inability to perform simple tasks such as driving more than a short distance.

From 2017 to 2019, Reason received a monthly payment of £2,000 from the insurer. 

Over the course of the two years, he was required to complete regular reviews which confirmed he had not been working and had not received any other benefits.

During this time, the insurer carried out background checks which quickly revealed that Reason – who was receiving regular benefit payments - was operating not just one paid business, but three in and around his home county of Lancashire.

These investigations showed Reason had been travelling to work as a freelance photographer, providing services for commercial properties and weddings.

Aviva established that Reason was not affected in the way he described during his assessment - travelled hundreds of miles for a photography job and working in a music group.

Aviva cancelled Reason’s policy and referred the case to City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), who commenced investigations in May 2019.

During a raid on Reason’s home, investigators found evidence that linked the fraudster with all three businesses. 

A key piece of evidence was Reason’s mobile phone, which held a number of calendar entries for guitar lessons, photography work and gigs throughout the period in which he was claiming from his insurer.

Facebook posts showed him describing a 300-mile round trip to Scarborough, going to the Lake District for a job as well as working until nearly 2am.

An investigation into the claimant’s finances established that Reason had received payment for the three businesses, with bank statements showing a total of almost £25,000 earned during the period he claimed. 

Reason later admitted when questioned he was also earning around £100 for each gig played with the band, leading IFED investigators to estimate that he is likely to have received another £4,000 income from this.

An Income Protection Policy is intended to support people if they cannot work due to injury or illness. 

Reason, of Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, was charged with one count of fraud by false representation.

He was handed an 18-month jail term, suspended for two years, at Preston Crown Court on Monday, and ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work as well as a five-day rehabilitation order.

Detective Constable James Rafiq, who led the investigation for the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), said: “Whilst Reason claims to have found himself in a difficult position in which he was no longer able to cope with the pressure of his job, he should still have pursued other forms of employment legitimately. 

“Instead, Reason exaggerated his inability to work to fraudulently claim tens of thousands of pounds from his insurer whilst juggling three other forms of paid work.  

“Unfortunately, it is fraudulent cases like this which undermine the serious nature of genuine health issues and subsequent protection policy claims.

“Reason has been rightfully punished for his crimes and we are now seeking to retrieve the funds he stole through the Proceeds of Crime Act so that we can reimburse his insurer.”

Jacqueline Kerwood, claims governance manager for individual protection at Aviva, added: “It was shocking to discover that Mr Reason was continuing to work and not just one paid employment, but three. Our investigation and referral to IFED brought an end to this scam.”