Dominic Ayo Williams, previously known as Ayodele Oladuti, is a 37-year-old man from Bromley who swindled £60,000 by claiming that Covid-19 restrictions forced him to cancel 14 holidays. He made 25 fraudulent travel and home insurance claims, alleging the pandemic impacted his holidays. However, in reality, he had not booked any of the flights or accommodations he claimed.
Over 18 months, two insurers paid out a total of £61,380 to Williams. His previous identity as Ayodele Oladuti had already been tainted by a fraud conviction. In 2017, he was sentenced to two years in prison for attempting to scam clients out of £25,000 by photographing bank cards and financial statements while showing homes to prospective buyers.
This time, Williams submitted forged documents stating his accommodation provider could not host him due to Covid-19 restrictions or that he needed to cancel his trips due to travel bans. AXA fraud investigators discovered the forgeries and referred the case to the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) in June 2021. Williams was arrested in November 2021 and later confessed to the fraud.
In May 2022, Aviva’s fraud investigators flagged another claim, where Williams alleged the loss of a Louis Vuitton bag containing an iPhone, Rolex watch, AirPods, and documents. After discovering his criminal background, Aviva officials confronted Williams, who falsely claimed that his 2017 conviction had been overturned.
Williams pleaded guilty to 16 counts of fraud by false representation and one count of using a false instrument with intent at Westminster Magistrates Court in November 2023. He was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for 18 months, by the Inner London Crown Court on February 3, 2025.
Detective Constable Dan Weller from IFED stated, “Williams exploited Covid-19 disruptions, making fraudulent claims for 18 months and pocketing substantial sums he wasn’t entitled to. When caught, he had the audacity to forge documents and continue deceiving insurers.” Weller emphasized that travel insurance is meant to provide security, not to be used for personal financial gain. He added that the sentence and future confiscation proceedings would serve as a warning that insurance criminals will be held accountable.
