Crash-for-cash scams at record higher

Picture you are driving the kids to school when the auto in front abruptly slams on its brakes.

There is nothing at all you can do to keep away from a collision, so you crash into the back of the car. Of course, it could be a genuine accident. Maybe the driver stopped quickly simply because a dog ran into the road.

But the accident could also be deliberate – a so-known as ‘crash for cash’.

Deliberate accidents are at an all-time higher, up by 51% last year.

Organised gangs are driving the boost in crash-for-money circumstances. So far this year, insurer Aviva reports a 21% rise in organised fraud over 2013. The insurer now has much more than 6,500 suspicious injury claims linked to recognized fraud rings.

Crash-for-cash fraudsters deliberately lead to accidents, usually so they can claim compensation for whiplash.

So, the auto in front will suddenly slam on its brakes. Or it may possibly accelerate away from site visitors lights or a pedestrian crossing only to then brake sharply.

Some criminals even disconnect their brake lights so you get small or no warning that they are about to stop.

‘Flash for cash’ is a a lot more current phenomenon. Here, fraudsters flash their headlights at an innocent driver, apparently to let the car out of a junction, or petrol station.

They will then speed up to lead to a crash and blame the unwitting motorist.

Organised gangs choose their targets with care. They want to meet with as tiny resistance as possible so they have a tendency to choose on mums with children in the car and older drivers.

Some locations are also more hazardous than other people. Birmingham and Luton are the UK’s crash for money hotspots, according to Aviva.

North London is in third location.

In the past, Manchester was awarded the dubious honour of the number a single slot, but it has dropped to 4th position soon after a number of effective prosecutions in the location.

An example was a case earlier this week when 2 men had been jailed for their component in a scam which involved a automobile braking sharply in front of a bus, with a clutch of bogus whiplash claims totaling £500,000 created by bus passengers as a consequence.

As nicely as the risk of genuine injury or worse, crash-for-money also hurts our pockets.

Fraud adds an estimated £400 million to the expense of car insurance, or around £14 to each motor premium.

Fraudulent motor claims detected in Birmingham postcodes alone totalled more than £4.7m by way of August this year, so you can see the size of the issue.

Insurers want the government to contemplate treating minor whiplash injuries with rehabilitation, rather of money compensation.

Tom Gardiner, Head of Claims Fraud for Aviva’s UK and Ireland General Insurance company, stated: “The fight against fraud begins with an successful deterrent. In addition to a lot more prosecutions and stronger sentences, we require to take away the economic incentive for minor whiplash claims.

“We are asking the government to consider compensating brief-term whiplash with rehabilitation, alternatively of cash. Would crash for cash exist if there was no money in it? We don’t consider so.”

• Remain vigilant. Remain alert and hold your distance from the car in front.


• Be particularly watchful at roundabouts and slip roads.


• If you notice that the brake lights on the vehicle in front do not perform, remain cautious.


• You ought to also be suspicious if the vehicle in front slows down or speeds up for no apparent purpose.


• Be wary, also, if the passengers seem unduly interested in you and your car as they may well be seeking for a great time to induce an accident.


• A vehicle with clear harm to the rear is another tell-tale sign.


• If you are involved in an accident that you suspect is fraudulent, contact the police quickly and don’t admit liability to the other driver, passenger or any individual else.


• Note down the make, model and registration number of the other automobile as well as the time, date, place and weather conditions.


• Note the full name, address, date of birth and gender of the driver and passengers and the quantity of passengers in the other automobile, like their positions in the automobile.


• Record the names and get in touch with information of any independent witnesses.


• Take pictures or a video if you can, capturing any damage – or lack of it – to the other car.


• It is also worth noting whether the driver of the other car or any passengers complain of injury.


• Some fraudsters are tutored by organised gangs, so you may possibly be on your guard if they appear overly prepared or study from a script.


• Don’t neglect to get in touch with your insurer immediately after the accident to advise them of any suspicions.

Prime 10 postcodes for ‘crash for cash’ by number of accidents:

1. Birmingham (B)


2. Luton (LU)


3. North London (N)


4. Manchester (M)


5. Leeds (LS)


6. Uxbridge (UB)


7. Harrow (HA)


8. North West London (NW)


9. Bradford (BD)


10.  Slough (IG)

Crash-for-cash scams at record higher