| Summary: If you’ve ever felt like your insurer treated you like a suspect after a genuine loss, you’re not alone, and you’re not imagining it. This blog looks at why insurers ask so many questions during a claim, what they’re actually checking for, and why that scrutiny ultimately protects honest policyholders rather than punishing them. |
Your house gets broken into. You’re rattled, you just want it sorted, and instead your insurer wants receipts for the laptop, photos of the jewellery you no longer have, and a detailed timeline of your evening. It can feel less like being looked after and more like being interrogated. If that’s ever struck you as unfair, it’s a completely reasonable reaction, but there’s a reason behind every one of those questions, and it isn’t about doubting you specifically.
It’s Not Personal, It’s Standard Practice
Insurers apply the same checks to every claim, not just the ones that look suspicious. That’s the point: if scrutiny only applied when someone seemed dodgy, it would rely on gut feeling and guesswork, which is unfair to genuine claimants and easy for dishonest ones to talk their way around. A consistent process, applied evenly, is what actually protects people making a real claim. It just doesn’t always feel that way when you’re the one filling in the forms.
What Insurers Are Actually Checking
The questions usually fall into a handful of categories:
- Proof of ownership – receipts, warranties, serial numbers or photos showing you had the item before it was lost, stolen or damaged.
- Consistency of the story – does the timeline of events, the damage, and the account you’ve given all line up with each other?
- Timing – claims lodged very soon after a policy starts get a closer look, simply because it raises the question of whether the loss happened before cover began.
- Claims history – has anything similar been claimed before, and does the pattern make sense.
None of this assumes bad faith. It’s simply the information an insurer needs to pay a claim fairly and quickly, and to catch the small number of cases where something doesn’t add up.
Why the Scrutiny Exists: Protecting Everyone’s Premiums
Every claim is paid out of the same shared pool that every policyholder pays into. Our own Fraud Survey data shows 66% of New Zealanders already understand that fraud leads to higher premiums for everyone, and 63% recognise it causes delays in processing genuine claims, because insurers have to investigate more thoroughly. That second point cuts both ways: the more fraud there is, the more friction every honest claimant has to go through as a result.
It’s the same scrutiny that unravels the cases that don’t hold up – like the policyholder who claimed $23,000 for “stolen” jewellery later found in a linen cupboard, or the forged receipts used to inflate a handbag theft claim. Genuine claimants sail through these checks because their story matches their documentation. The questions exist because that isn’t true for everyone.
How to Make Your Genuine Claim Move Faster
A few habits make the process smoother if you ever need to claim:
- Keep receipts, warranties and photos of higher-value items somewhere you can find them, not just in your head.
- Report losses and damage promptly, rather than weeks later.
- Be consistent and specific when describing what happened, rather than approximating details.
- Respond quickly to follow-up requests from your insurer, even if a question feels repetitive.
If you’re ever unsure why you’re being asked for something, it’s always worth asking your insurer directly. And if you suspect someone else is being dishonest with a claim, you can report it confidentially and anonymously, no proof required, at ifb.org.nz/report-fraud.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my insurer ask for proof of purchase?
Proof of purchase, such as a receipt or serial number, helps confirm you owned the item and establishes its value. It’s a standard part of processing most claims, not a sign you’re being singled out.
Does being asked more questions mean I’m suspected of fraud?
No. Insurers apply the same checks to every claim as standard practice. Extra questions are far more often about confirming details than raising suspicion.
What can I do to speed up a genuine claim?
Report the loss promptly, keep receipts and photos of valuable items, give a consistent account of what happened, and respond quickly to any follow-up questions from your insurer.