With its AI-based fraud detection platform “System FOTO”, ControlExpert has established a centralized, data protection-compliant solution used by nearly all Polish insurers to automatically analyze vehicle damage images for patterns of fraud. The innovative platform sets new standards for efficiency, transparency, and data privacy in digital claims processing.

Langenfeld, Germany – May 2025 – Launched at the end of 2024 under the auspices of the Claims Settlement Commission of the Polish Chamber of Insurance (PIU) and the Insurance Guarantee Fund (UFG), System FOTO marks a milestone in the digitalization of automotive claims settlement in Poland. The technical concept and implementation were developed by ControlExpert – a Solvd Group Company, a global leader in AI-based solutions for the automation of claims and maintenance processes in the mobility sector. UFG financed and co-developed the system and is responsible for technical operations and insurer integration.

The FOTO system is based on automated image recognition and was developed to recognize identical or existing damages that have been resubmitted to different insurers – a phenomenon believed to be widespread in the industry, not only in Poland but worldwide. Using artificial intelligence, the system automatically analyzes all vehicle damage images uploaded to a central platform for cases of fraud. Almost 87% of all car insurance companies on the Polish market already use this platform. It fully complies with European and Polish data protection regulations, including the strict requirements of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF). This ensures that all user data is processed securely, transparently and in strict compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Designed for highly regulated industries such as financial services and insurance, the platform ensures exceptional data security and compliance at every stage.

“System FOTO has been an exceptional project for us – in terms of both data volume and impact. We are proud to provide a scalable, market-wide solution that specifically helps to prevent fraud,” says Grzegorz Czekiel, Managing Director of ControlExpert Poland. “The coordinated effort of nearly the entire insurance market under the leadership of UFG is a significant milestone. This successful launch has paved the way for some exciting new projects on an international scale.”

With the aim of preventing insurance crime by recognizing recurring damage patterns in the images, FOTO identifies damaged vehicle parts such as bumpers, doors or headlights that appear in different claims – even with different vehicles and insurers. Damage that has been reported again can also be identified. At FOTO, ControlExpert continuously relies on the use of the latest technologies in order to detect further fraud patterns on an ongoing basis.

“With System FOTO, we’ve established a new benchmark that not only accelerates claims handling, but also lays the foundation for fair, transparent, and efficient insurance processes,” Czekiel adds. “Moreover, the underlying technology opens up a wide range of further applications – including in other lines of insurance such as property insurance. With FOTO, we are ideally positioned for a wide range of inquiries and concerns in the field of automated loss and fraud detection – and not just limited to the Polish market.”

During the initial phase, the AI algorithms analyzed more than 300,000 claims from two years and three vehicle brands – a data volume of over 8 terabytes. The system now accesses one of the largest claims databases in Europe: with over 60 million images and around 2.5 million documented damages. This database is expected to grow to 100 million images and over 60 terabytes in the near future.

“The implementation of this project is the result of successful cooperation between insurance companies, the Polish Chamber of Insurance (PIU), and the Insurance Guarantee Fund (UFG). We are very pleased with the first results of the system; we already have thousands of selected cases showing that it works properly and has great potential. It is no secret that AI algorithms improve their efficiency with more data and the right training process, which we are currently working on,” says Radosław Bedyński, Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Insurance Guarantee Fund, who is leading the FOTO project group.