Husky Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Tony H[/url]":3njplve4]Crash for cash Crash for cash is the latest scam to hit Britain's roads, with an increasing number of drivers admitting to crashing deliberately in order to claim on their insurance policy. This is worrying for everyone; not only those of you with classic or prestigious cars, as unsuspecting motorists are now becoming the target of this unbelievable and dangerous scam. So, what is a crash for cash scam? The fraudsters will wait for the best moment; when someone is driving a bit closer than normal, before hitting the brakes and locking up, allowing the other driver to crash into them so they can make a claim on their insurance; often with a string of false injury claims. In a move to try and discover whether or not a crash has actually taken place, the insurance industry usually places suspected crash for cash claims into one of the following categories: • 'Staged' crashes – normally operating in a group, two vehicles will deliberately crash into each other to claim off both policies. • 'Contrived' crashes – a crash that never actually happened. The common story is that the other driver left the scene after crashing into the person trying to make the false claim. • 'Induced' crashes – effectively forcing a crash to happen by driving erratically or sudden braking/steering to ensure another motorist crashes into the rear of the car. The 'induced' crashes are fast becoming the most popular versions of this scam, with victims reporting no brake lights have come on when the car in front has slammed on all of a sudden – because the brake lights have been disconnected so the victim has very little warning that the other vehicle is slowing down. Pulling out at junctions at roundabouts when another driver has no chance of stopping or avoiding a collision is also very common; as scenarios such as these will often result in a crash where the blame can be passed onto the victim easily. The worrying news is that drivers are admitting to performing this ridiculous action, with one in twenty people claiming they have successfully pulled off this scam, according to research by moneysupermarket.com When you are behind the wheel, consider the following: • Stay alert – try and remain focused on the road the vehicle in front • Avoid any distractions - you are an easy target if you are on a mobile phone or eating/drinking whilst driving • Keep your distance – leave enough space for you to stop should the car in front come to a halt without warning • The brake lights of the vehicle in front of you – have they been working when you have slowed down in traffic? • Watch for erratic driving – look for changing patterns in the driving habits of the vehicle in front; are they slowing down & speeding up, or changing lanes often without indicating? • Watch for any strange behaviour, or if the driver in front is paying a lot of attention to you in their mirrors. • Are the passengers in the vehicle in front paying a lot of attention to you? • Is there any existing damage to the rear of the car ahead of you? The survey found that drivers in London are most likely to be the victim, while male drivers are twice as likely to attempt such a move as females. Steve Sweeney, head of car insurance at moneysupermarket.com said: "Desperate times do often call for desperate measures, but surely this is a step too far for British motorists. We have all been affected by the recession in one way or another, but crashing for cash is not only illegal but wilfully endangers the lives of others." "According to recent ABI figures, last year over 2,000 dishonest insurance claims worth more than £16 million were detected every week. Our research reveals there are many more motorists causing this type of fraud and getting away with it. Organised motor fraud not only costs the insurance industry, but risks the safety of innocent drivers, passengers and pedestrians. In addition, fraudulent claims cause insurers to increase premiums for honest motorists as they try to recuperate their losses." The crash for cash scam is now affecting all of us; as on average, £44 is being added to each insurance premium as a result of 30,000 staged accidents every year, which cost around £17,000 each according to the Insurance Fraud Bureau. The top 20 towns where this scam is taking place are (correct as of November 5th): 1. Birmingham 2. Liverpool 3. Manchester 4. London East 5. Bradford 6. London North 7. Chester 8. Leeds 9. Oldham 10. Blackburn 11. Luton 12. Warrington 13. Newcastle-upon-Tyne 14. Uxbridge 15. Harrow 16. Bolton 17. Ilford and Barking 18. Wakefield 19. Sheffield 20. London North-West Avoid becoming a victim While there will be times when this is unavoidable, keeping your wits about you, leaving plenty of space between you and the car in front are the best ways to help ensure you don't become a victim. Don't use a mobile phone whilst driving (which itself is illegal), and having music too loud or eating/drinking whilst driving makes you an easy target to scammers who prey on such people. What to do if you are in a crash If you are involved in a collision of any kind; follow your insurance provider's instructions, try to get as much information as possible, such as: • The time, date and location of the accident. • The make, model and registration number of the other vehicle • The full name, address and date of birth of the driver and each passenger in their vehicle, and whether they were male or female. Ask for ID if necessary. • Ask the driver whether they are the owner of the vehicle and if not, ask the driver for details of the owner • The total number of passengers in the other vehicle • Make a note of any damage to both cars. • Take photographs (even on a mobile phone if possible) of the area of the other vehicle your vehicle impacted with, to capture details of any damage or not as the case may be • Take photographs of the scene of the accident & photos of the driver of the other vehicle, and any passengers. • Make a note of any injuries being claimed at the time of the accident • Did the driver have all of their details pre-printed ready to give to you? • How the vehicle left the scene – was it recovered or driven away? If recovered, ask for the name of the company recovering the car. • The contact details of any witnesses. Don't try it yourself Whilst it is unlikely anyone would try this after reading the above; please remember that if you are found guilty of trying the crash for cash scam, an official 'fraud mark' will be added to your licence which will void any existing cover and make it extremely difficult to find insurance in future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 scum, thats the type of people who would do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 scum, thats the type of people who would do that. Indeed. Surprised to see Chester so high up the list though Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 I live in Birmingham and to be fair anything goes round here..... People drive like they are planning a scam crash but don't have any intention of crashing - that's how bad it is here these days!! Interesting read though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterfield Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Incredibly useful post, one worthy of a sticky somewhere I think. I'd be tempted to take it to court if it happened to me, ensuring that the driver trying the scam on knows I will be getting his home address as part of going to court, and that I have friends with access to jcb's and concrete mixers and various building sites with big holes needing filling lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bounty78 Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 F£$king thwart! I was the victim of this chrimbo last year. Only had my NISMO N1 bumper for 2 days when it happened. Someone in a big SUV 4x4 with blacked out rear windscreen slam his brake all of a sudden when the lights at the traffic lights went green. No damage to his car whatsover but a big hole in my new bumper. Found out few weeks later he was claiming for whiplash to himself and his wife who wasn't even in the car at the time of the incident. Chris Knott Insurance or Highway sorted the claim out. They said it's always the person at the back that is at fault. Thank goodness i have protected NCB but my premium this year has gone up the roof Note to myself..take pictures next time! This should be made a sticky..good info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruddles Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Great post Husky! It's not just drivers you need to watch out for unfortunately, I work for Westons Cider and quite alot of our drivers have had people 'hurl' themselves at the vehicles in hope of a compensation claim . Sad to think people will risk their lives so willingly for money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilli Red Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Brilliant post Husky, well found Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff-r Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Officially paranoid now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sasha@lazytrips Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Happened to me a while back in my pre-zed days. I guess I am one of the rare 'Contrived' crashes where the person slammed their brakes on coming off the M1 with nothing in front of them. I stopped just behind the person with centimetres to spare with no contact and came out to inquire what the guy's problem was. A few weeks later (!!!!!) my insurance company called to say they launched an insurance claim against me for damage to the rear & both (!!!!!) rear side panels. I protested for months and months and spent a tonne of money on the phone & in complaint letters. I insisted that they come and inspect my car for any signs of the claimed damage and if they found any paint from the other car on mine, I would pay out of my own pocket. The end of the story was that because the other party "only" claimed for £1200 or thereabouts, my insurance company at the time (Liverpool Victoria) paid out regardless because it was cheaper for them to pay out than fight it. Needless to say I was furious, but I totted it up and realised it wasn't worth my nerves & stress going through the courts, lawyers, etc, so I just told my insurance company exactly what I thought of them and voted with my feet. It's a sad state of affairs when it's easier and a lot less stressful to just suck it up and declare a fault accident for 3 years and in the online forms put in £1200 damage to 3rd party £0 damage to own vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millzzz Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Officially paranoid now! +1 Useful thing to know though, cheers Husky. . . Dirty little f***ers . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 My Mrs is a copper in Brum and my best mate is a motor insurance litigation lawyer. This stuff is sooooooo rife it's unbelievable...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 My Mrs is a copper in Brum and my best mate is a motor insurance litigation lawyer. This stuff is sooooooo rife it's unbelievable...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cesc Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 A lot of these fake whiplash claims and crash for cash scams are done by Asian men. Look at the list of the top 20 and you'll notice nearly all will have a high percentage of Asians (more specifically British Pakistani's). As an Asian lad I am completely and utterly embarrassed by how commonplace it appears to be in our community and what little regard these cretins have for other people. My friend thought nothing of claiming £2,500 in a false whiplash claim when the car he was sat in was hit on the side at fairly low speed. When I asked him what he was playing at, he just kind of shrugged and said "Everyone does it" My insurance premiums have been going up since I was 19 despite getting older (and wiser). For example I was 20 when I had my Golf R32 and that was over £400 less than what I'm paying now for a god damn poncey little RX-8 at 23! . The insurance company put this solely down to false injury claims. Of course not all false injury claims are instigated by Asians but if the insurance company released the names of the arseholes who make these types of claims you'd see what I mean. This is one subject that really makes my bloody boil! And I apologise on behalf of my ilk, we're not all t**ts I promise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bounty78 Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 The chap that was claiming for whiplash in my case is not Asian..don't think this has anything to do with race...it's people with no guilty conscience who should burn in hell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted November 12, 2010 Author Share Posted November 12, 2010 I'm not trying to make any sweeping generalisations but when i lived in scotland there was a very low number of "minority groups" and since living in coventry its been an eye opener for me to the different views from various groups on how things should be done. Granted it can be down to a cultural difference in ways of living or doing business and hence im not blaming individuals but damn it can make things difficult/depressing at times when your trying to get stuff done. It seems some people believe that because it's how their culture deals with something that makes it right for them to do it a certain way, where as, i see it that they should conform to where they live. When I have lived in other countries I've adjusted the way i do things to match local tradition and culture, it only seems fair. Sadly when large enough groups are formed (be that due to pressure to push similar groups into one area by councils or just human nature to be around those similar to you) it seems a micro nation is formed with its own territory, lifestyle and rules. I have to admit its really quite intimidating one minute driving or walking along a "normal" street then all of a sudden its a completely alien world as you turn a corner. At first I accepted this as the norm and got on with it but more and more i seem to get frustrated by the differences. As far as extremists go, every culture has them, from football hooligans slashing each other with stanley blades and rioting to terrorist attacks causing mass panic. Some we are accustomed too, some are new, they will always be around in some form and there is naff all we can do to prevent the crazy people venting via one excuse or another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 A lot of these fake whiplash claims and crash for cash scams are done by Asian men. Look at the list of the top 20 and you'll notice nearly all will have a high percentage of Asians (more specifically British Pakistani's). As an Asian lad I am completely and utterly embarrassed by how commonplace it appears to be in our community and what little regard these cretins have for other people. My friend thought nothing of claiming £2,500 in a false whiplash claim when the car he was sat in was hit on the side at fairly low speed. When I asked him what he was playing at, he just kind of shrugged and said "Everyone does it" My insurance premiums have been going up since I was 19 despite getting older (and wiser). For example I was 20 when I had my Golf R32 and that was over £400 less than what I'm paying now for a god damn poncey little RX-8 at 23! . The insurance company put this solely down to false injury claims. Of course not all false injury claims are instigated by Asians but if the insurance company released the names of the arseholes who make these types of claims you'd see what I mean. This is one subject that really makes my bloody boil! And I apologise on behalf of my ilk, we're not all t**ts I promise! Unfortunately you are quite correct, the vast majority of false claimants are young asian men.......... There are some prime spot by me where it happens, as much as twice a week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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