In recognition of Fraud Prevention Month, Équité Association and its members are releasing a comprehensive thought-leadership series designed to illuminate the most pressing fraud issues currently facing the insurance industry. This series is not just about identifying the problems, such as the $900 million auto theft claims costs in 2025, but about showcasing the innovative solutions being deployed to disrupt criminal networks.

Brittany Hand, Senior Leader of Policy Investigations at Aviva Canada discusses the increase in ghost brokers and how Aviva Canada is responding to protect customers.  Aviva Canada is one of the leading property and casualty insurance groups in the country, providing home, automobile, lifestyle, and business insurance to 2.5 million customers coast to coast.

Équité: For Fraud Prevention Month, what type of insurance fraud would you like to raise awareness about and why?

• Brittany Hand (BH): We are seeing a growing increase in ghost brokers, who carry out a serious and deceptive form of insurance fraud that continues to impact drivers across our communities Canada wide. Ghost brokers are individuals who pose as legitimate insurance brokers and sell fake, altered, or invalid insurance policies—often at a reduced price—to unsuspecting consumers. Many victims believe they are properly insured, only to discover they have no valid coverage when they are involved in a collision, stopped by police, or attempt to file a claim.
  
  This type of fraud can have devastating consequences for Canadians. Drivers may face significant financial loss, legal penalties, and the stress of being uninsured. At the same time, ghost brokering contributes to increased costs across the insurance system, ultimately driving up premiums for all customers. These schemes are often connected to organized crime groups operating in Canada and frequently target vulnerable individuals, like newcomers to communities, elderly, young and new drivers, through social media platforms and informal networks.
  
  Raising awareness is a critical step in prevention. By educating the public on how to recognize warning signs – such as deals that seem too good to be true or requests for payment through untraceable methods and oddities in documentation – we can help protect consumers and reduce the broader impacts this fraud has on our communities.
  
  When buying insurance in Canada, it’s important to only work with properly licensed individuals or companies. These people follow strict professional standards and regulations designed to help protect consumers. Before buying insurance, take the time to verify a broker’s license with your provincial or territorial regulator – such as the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO) or equivalent authorities across Canada. These resources help ensure consumers are dealing with qualified, accountable professionals and reduce the risk of fraud or misinformation.

Équité: How have fraud trends changed over time?

• BH: Fraud trends have evolved significantly, and ghost brokers are a clear example of that shift. In the past, these schemes were often carried out in person, using handwritten paperwork and face to face meetings, sometimes in parking lots or informal settings, to sell fake or altered insurance policies. The reach was typically local, and the fraud relied on manual processes.
  
  Today, ghost brokers have largely moved online. Fraudsters now use social media, digital platforms, and messaging apps to target victims more quickly and anonymously. Advances in technology have made it easier to alter documents, create convincing fake insurance confirmations, and operate under false or stolen identities.
  
  Looking toward 2026 and beyond, ghost brokers are becoming more sophisticated. The use of automation, artificial intelligence, and digital identity manipulation allows these schemes to scale rapidly and become harder to detect. As tactics evolve, public awareness and verification remain critical to protecting consumers in an increasingly digital insurance landscape.

Équité: What is your organization doing to protect your clients and the communities they live in from the impacts of insurance fraud?

• BH: Aviva Canada is committed to protecting our customers and the communities they live in from the impacts of insurance fraud, including the growing threat of ghost brokers. We have a strong internal detection program supported by a dedicated team of investigative, policy, claims, and analytics experts who work every day to detect, disrupt, and prevent fraudulent activity.
  
  A key part of this effort is the team I have the privilege of leading, Aviva Canada’s dedicated Policy Investigations Team, which is unique in the industry. This specialized team focuses exclusively on identifying and addressing fraud at the policy level, including ghost broker schemes that occur before a claim is ever made.
  
  Education and collaboration are central to our approach. We work closely with law enforcement and industry partners to support investigations, while also raising awareness among consumers. Through our advocacy efforts and the resources published on Aviva’s Fraud Hub, we provide real world examples, practical tips, and clear guidance to help the public recognize the warning signs of ghost brokering and beyond.
  
  By taking a proactive, layered approach – combining specialized teams, advanced technology, strong partnerships, and public education – we can help reduce fraud and its ripple effects, including higher premiums, delays in claims processing, and erosion of community trust.

Équité: How is technology advancement influencing how you approach fraud detection?

• BH: Technological advancement has significantly changed how we detect and respond to insurance fraud, including increasingly sophisticated methods used by ghost brokers. As fraud tactics become more digital and complex, our approach has evolved to focus on early identification, speed, and precision.
  
  We have made significant investments in advanced fraud detection technologies, including data science and analytics tools that allow us to identify suspicious patterns and high risk transactions quickly and accurately. These tools help us detect inconsistencies and behaviours that may indicate fraudulent activity—often before a policy is issued or a claim is submitted.
  
  Our capabilities are further strengthened through industry fraud prevention tools. By collaborating with industry peers, we are better positioned to identify emerging trends tied to organized and digital fraud activity, including ghost broker schemes that operate across platforms and jurisdictions.
  
  Technology also enables our investigative teams to work more efficiently and proactively. Rather than relying solely on traditional, reactive methods, we can now combine human expertise with advanced analytics to focus resources where the risk is highest.

In an era of heightened risk, the insurance industry is more committed than ever to protecting cusomters from the impacts of fraud. Driving collaboration with government, law enforcement and other stakeholders, Équité and its members are strengthening fraud deterrence efforts to protect Canadians against insurance crime.

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