LOCAL police have issued a ‘crash for cash’ alert after a number of reported incidents in the Redditch and Alcester area.
A crash for cash is deliberately causing or staging an accident for financial gain.
The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) says: “Costing around £340m a year, ‘crash for cash’ scams are run by fraudsters who manufacture collisions, sometimes with innocent road users, hoping to profit from fraudulent insurance claims. With
“claims from a single collision potentially worth tens of thousands of pounds, organised fraudsters are orchestrating scams that involve multiple collisions and can be worth millions of pounds.”
Police say there are three different types of scam – staged accidents, induced accidents and ghost accidents.
They say the tell-tale signs are:
•The other driver is far too calm for someone that’s been involved in a car accident.
•They have already written down their insurance details before the accident happened.
•Any injuries appear to be completely at odds with the force of the impact.
What to do if you think you’ve been targeted:
•Note as much information as you can about the event, the driver, any passengers and the circumstances.
•Take photos of the incident, if you are able and it is safe to do so.
•Call the police and report your suspicions.
•Call the IFB’s Cheatline on 0800 422 0421 – your information may help us connect your accident to a wider, organised scam.
For more information visit http://bit.ly/2dsZwi8
