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In recent years drivers have increasingly fallen victim to a new kind of car crime – staged or deliberate motor accidents where someone deliberately causes an accident with an innocent motorist with the intention of making a false or inflated insurance claim.<\/p>\n
A typical staged accident occurs when someone deliberately causes an accident with an innocent motorist. The fraudsters frequently increase the amount that they are claiming from the victim\u2019s insurance company in various ways, such as by adding non-existent or phantom passengers to the claim. The criminals may also use \u201cfriendly\u201d third parties, such as mechanics and doctors, in their claim to make it look genuine. The innocent victim can then be left with an increase in their motor insurance premium and can often lose their valuable no claims bonus.<\/p>\n
Driver advice<\/strong><\/p>\n Advice for drivers who suspect they may have been involved in a staged or deliberate accident:<\/p>\n 1. If you suspect you have been involved in a staged accident, don\u2019t say anything other than\u00a0\u2018it is a matter for our insurance companies\u2019<\/p>\n 2.If anyone is injured, the police should be called<\/p>\n 3.Take as many pictures as possible of the accident, including the driver, passengers, vehicle and any damage<\/p>\n 4.The identity of the driver is crucial so take a good description<\/p>\n 5.Establish how many passengers are in the other car and again, take a good description of them<\/p>\n 6.Take note of any other cars involved including damage and registration numbers<\/p>\n 7.Try to find an independent witness for the accident but be wary of any witnesses quick to offer their services as they may be corrupt<\/p>\n 8.Be wary of any companies who contact you quickly offering to repair your car, unless these are through your insurance company<\/p>\n 9.If you suspect the accident was intentional, inform your insurance company at the earliest opportunity<\/p>\n 10.If you know of anyone involved in staging accidents you can confidentially call the Insurance Fraud Bureau Cheatline on 0800 328 2550<\/p>\n <\/p>\n