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Spying on compo claimants at Christmas

HORRIFIED: Judith Beck was alarmed to find out she was under surveillance when awaiting compensatiojn for an injury. Picture: Annette Dew.
Source: The Sunday Mail (Qld)

A PRIVATE investigation firm has been branded “Scrooge” after offering to spy on compensation claimants over Christmas.

Surveillance Central at Toowong in Brisbane has emailed law firms offering “festive season surveillance” on injury compensation claimants.

The offer is aimed at lawyers representing insurers or firms sued for compensation. “It’s Scrooge-like,” said personal injury lawyer Ian Brown of Maurice Blackburn.

The Surveillance Central email says: “The holiday period often provides some tremendous surveillance opportunities.”

The investigator has offered to get footage of claimants putting up Christmas lights, going shopping and to parties and doing yard clean-ups.

Camping, fishing and beach trips, excursions to theme parks and holiday preparations also offered great opportunities for surveillance, according to the firm.

Mr Brown said often the footage was never shown in court because it proved that people were telling the truth about the physical effect of their injuries.

Sunshine Coast woman Judith Beck felt horrified after she found she had been under video surveillance over several years in the lead-up to an injury compensation case after a car accident.

When Ms Beck’s lawyer forced an insurer to reveal the video footage of her, which showed her claim was genuine, she saw she even had been filmed while walking inside her home.

Rod Trevor of Surveillance Central declined to comment.