Motor insurance scammers are the biggest drain on the UK insurance industry, according to the Association of British Insurers.

Last year 59,900 fraudulent motor claims were recorded, up 34% on 2012. The scams were worth £811 million ($1.46 billion), up 32%.

Across the wider industry insurers detected 118,500 false or exaggerated claims last year, with a record bill of £1.3 billion ($2.34 billion), up 18% on 2012.

However, the number of property insurance frauds fell 38% to 35,000, with the value down 24% to £137 million ($246.4 million).

Better detective work may explain the drop in property insurance scams. The industry spends £200 million ($359.7 million) annually on fraud detection.

Police are also cracking down. Investigations by the specialist UK Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department have led to 470 arrests and 85 prosecutions since they began in 2011.

The Insurance Council of Australia’s Insurance Fraud Bureau estimates insurance fraud in Australia at about $2 billion a year.