Crash for cash - a scam for the unquestioning?
The One Show's Justin Rowlatt's been looking into this potentially dangerous crime:
Have you ever been involved in a car crash? Even if you're lucky enough to escape without injury, the trauma of it often remains longer than the vehicle damage.
But was it really an accident? It sounds like a ridiculous question but I've discovered it's actually become the reasonable thing to ask.
The One Show's discovered criminal gangs are deliberately staging accidents to make false insurance claims and you might well have been a victim.
, as it's known in the trade is a simple but potentially very dangerous crime.Ìý
Basically, fraudsters force innocent drivers to crash into the rear of their cars. Swerving in front of vehicles, braking suddenly or even just removing brake lights are some of the tactics used.
More than 22,000 staged, false accidents happen every year, Ìýof insurance payouts.
To maximize their payout, fraudsters will go as far as exaggerating damage to the vehicle, inventing injuries, passengers or even the entire accident.
The scam works on the premise that insurance companies almost always pay out for rear-end accidents with very few questions.
Meanwhile the driver who's also being scammed ends up paying too in their premium.
One of the first cases of its kind to go to court and get a conviction, ended in a gang of thirteen men being convicted for a total of 10 years last month.
Now, the Ìýfighting back, they offer advice on how to deal with the scam and they have a new database picking out people making multiple claims.
Just last month, a gang of thirteen men were convicted for a total of 10 years - one of the first cases of its kind in the UK.
Do you think you may have been the victim of a Crash for Cash scam?
Or do you think scams like this are just a tax on stupidity - relying on unquestioning drivers and insurance companies?
Click on comments and let us know.
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