Many of our roadside assistance customers will have heard of the so-called “crash for cash” scam, in which criminal gangs drive around in numerous cars and apply their brakes suddenly, with a view to causing a rear-end collision with the vehicle behind.
But a new variation of the scam has arisen since the beginning of the year. The new trick, nicknamed “flash and crash”, involves a scammer waiting on a main road for a target car to drive from a side road or petrol station forecourt, on to the main road. The scammer then flashes their lights to indicate that the car may enter the road, but then proceeds to drive into the vehicle side-on.
The aim is to make a personal injury claim. The victims are invariably found at fault because the car on the main road has the right of way.
The Insurance Fraud Bureau believes 14 per cent of personal injury claims are related to “crash for cash” scams. In total, it is estimated that 380 fraudulent claims are made in the UK every day, which adds between £50 and £100 to every driver’s insurance premium.
Aside from the criminality and high cost to those who buy insurance, there is also a big emotional price to pay for the victims; being involved in an accident is not pleasant, and can be exacerbated by being scammed by these criminals.
There is a real threat to life from “crash for cash” scams. In 2011 Baljinder Kaur Gill was killed by a crash scam. Four men were jailed earlier in the year for their role in her death.
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