Forged signature on car insurance?

OldPeculier

Quick background on this:

My younger brother is over 25, 1 year experience driving as a named driver on our mother's car.

I am over 30 with 5 years ncb. I no longer have my own policy, I'm named driver on my missus' policy.

My brother got a job requiring him to have his own car. He asked me could he go named driver under my name on the policy, as insurance on his own would be over €1500 but under my policy would be about €500. I agreed in principle and heard no more about it from him.

Now I understand the policy was taken out and he has been driving for the past month. I emailed him to ask him if he needed my signature, copy of the ncb or anything to complete the policy but he said it was "all sorted".

I'm pretty annoyed about it. Would he have had to forge my signature to take out the policy? Also, he must have phoned my old insurance company and represented himself as me, giving my name, dob etc and got them to post out the ncb cert to my parent's address (where he still lives), which he then opened and used.

Would my signature have been required for the policy?

What is the legal status of the policy if he had forged my signature?

biko

So he is now also on your girlfriends policy?
Shouldn't she be the one signing stuff?

Or did he start a policy for you with him as named driver? The policyholder have to be the main driver of the car on the policy (with Quinn at least)

OldPeculier

Biko, he started a policy in my name with me as the main driver yes

Anan1

OldPeculier wrote: »

Biko, he started a policy in my name with me as the main driver yes

So he's misrepresented himself as you? If he has an accident, you'll have to choose between losing your NCB and being loaded on your partners policy or leaving him uninsured. Personally, i'd have that policy cancelled straight away.

biko

In theory he can do everything online including paying and get disc sent to his house without signing anything. Without claiming NCB deduction he might not have to sign anything at all.
But if I were you I'd challenge him more about this "all sorted" business. If the **** hits the fan it could be your rep with the insurances companies on the line.

RachaelVO

As biko says anything can be done online!

Seriously, if he has done this, it's fraud, and it's fraud in YOUR name! I'd confront him over this (while I kicked his arse). This is something you need to rectify straight away as it could easily come back to haunt ya!

Doop

Ive gone on and off friends / parents policy's, and have never needed to get anything signed, it can be done over the ph or on the net. just giving the details and making a payment, the original insurance disc still stands. You dont get a new disc if you add someone to the policy..

EDIT just re-read it there, my bad didnt realise he started a policy from scratch in OP's name.

But on that point I took out a brand new policy here, having been living abroad previously, I rang up and got the policy started an hour later as I had found a car to buy. The only thing I needed to send in was a letter stating I hadnt been in any accidents over the previous 2 years while abroad. If I hadnt of needed to send in that letter they never would have had my signature on anything.

Still fraud either way!

Anan1

I'm pretty sure he'd have had to sign at some point.

Anan1

Anan1 wrote: »

I'm pretty sure he'd have had to sign at some point.

Yip, you have to sign the policy confrmation that is sent out in the post and you keep it yourself. The policy is actually void if you dont sign it...well...technically anyway.

delly

Aside from the signature issue, if he is the actual main driver and you haven't even stepped foot in the car, then that is another void. Also, nearly all policy's require the car to be registered in your own or your partners name. Another point would be my insurance need to know if I have use of another car, so your missus's company might need to know about your (bro's) car and your own policy.

I know you might have thought that your helping your brother out, but if the metaphorical hits the fan, you could find yourself in deep water.