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Opportunistic insurance fraud means claiming for an accident or crime that hasn't happened. It's on the up and costs insurers £1.6bn pounds a year.

But the insurers are fighting back and coming up with new methods of detecting lies. Some are even turning to specialist investigators like Absolute Fraud Management.

They work for many leading insurers and their job is to sort out the genuine claims from the lies.

Client director Tony Jones explained that historically, fraud increases during an economic downturn. He said the company has seen a rise in fraudulent claims linked to vehicle thefts and fires as well as for luxury items like jet skis and quad bikes.

In Cardiff, many people we asked said they would never lie on an insurance claim. However, others said they'd be tempted while some admitted to having done it.

One woman admitted: "I've poured a pint of water down the back of the TV... but, I was told to do it by the man from the telly repair shop.

The results aren't surprising; a recent statistic said one in 10 people are happy to admit they've embellished the truth on an insurance claim.

Insurers use a range of methods to weed out fraudsters. Some even use voice stress analysis programmes to tell if you're lying on the phone.

At Absolute, they've adopted a technique called cognitive interviewing which involves speaking to the client in great detail.

If someone's put in a genuine claim for a stolen car they will usually be happy to discuss their problem and reveal a range of emotions during the phone call.

However, if they're lying they'll usually be vague, show a lack of emotion and often be reluctant to reveal certain details.

Tony Jones explained: "Our process shows that it is very difficult to fake real emotion for the length of the conversation.

"You can do it in pre-rehearsed small pieces but, if you take the incident from the moment you got up to the moment you went to bed, then it's very hard for you to fake that emotion all the way through."

It's proving to be an effective technique. And Absolute have detected quite a few fraudulent Welsh cases recently.

Mr Y from Bridgend parked his £12,000 van and went to work on a building site but, when he returned, his van had gone. He claimed it had been stolen.

However, there was one important detail he'd left out - he'd hung up his jacket on a post next to his van with his key in the pocket!

Meanwhile Mr X reported his iPod stolen and was asked for proof of purchase. He sent a picture of himself with his iPod.

But, there was something in the picture Mr X probably wished he'd left out... a magazine with a date on the cover later than when his iPod was allegedly stolen!

Many insurance companies also employ forensic investigators, so if, for example you said you'd accidentally spilt paint on your carpet, the investigators could test this out in many ways.

Although insurance fraud may seem like a victimless crime, in the end we all lose out. Each year our premiums increase on average by £40 to cover the cost of this type of fraud.

That's £40 on each policy so if in a year you pay for car, contents, buildings and travel insurance, that's a £160 increase.

And there are more serious consequences too. Richard Davies, deputy chairman of the Insurance Fraud Bureau, had a warning for potential fraudsters.

"Telling a white lie has serious consequences for the customer. For a start the claim won't be paid in full, so if you just exaggerate the claim slightly then you may lose the whole claim, so you might not get anything back from the insurer.

"You will find it more difficult to get insurance the following year and you may also find you've set yourself up on a list which makes it very difficult for you to get credit and the worst insurance fraudsters will be reported to the police, and they will be prosecuted, you could end up in jail. "

To report an insurance fraud you can call the Insurance Fraud Bureau's Cheatline on 0800 328 2550 or .