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Auto Insurance and Staged Auto Accidents

There are a lot of dishonest people out there who for whatever reason make decisions that compromise the safety and well-being of innocent people. A reflection of this is in the auto insurance scams that happen every day, under the guise of an everyday small fender bender. Imagine getting into a small accident that results in a small dent and then wrangled into an enormous and stressful insurance claim that could cost you thousands of dollars over the course of years. According to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud (CAIF), “often these accidents are staged by organized crime rings that bilk dozens of unsuspecting drivers.”

Below are list of common scams classified by the CAIF:

Swoop and Squat

A suspect vehicle suddenly swoops in front of you and jams on the brakes, causing a rear-end collision. Often the suspect car has passengers who pretend to have painful back or neck injuries, even though the collision was at low speed. The driver and passengers then make large collision and injury claims against your auto policy.

Drive Down

You're trying to merge into traffic, and a dishonest driver slows down and waves you forward. He then crashes into your car, but denies waving you into traffic and blames the accident on you. Crooked drivers may also wave you out of a parking space with the same come-on.

Shady Helpers

A stranger may approach you at the crash site, or telephone you soon afterward. Maybe you just had an honest accident, or it was all a setup. Regardless, this stranger tries to convince you to get repairs at a specific auto-body shop, seek treatment from a certain doctor or chiropractor, or visit a lawyer he knows who can help you sue for injuries. Be careful — it may be a setup: That body shop may try to illegally pad your repair bill. The doctor or chiropractor may give you shoddy or no treatment, but bill the auto insurer thousands of dollars. The lawyer may encourage you to sue the auto insurer for thousands of dollars even if you have only minor or no injuries.

Not only can your life become incredibly stressful, but your driving record could become blemished with a costly claim, and your premiums may skyrocket accordingly. Perpetrators can also put your life in risk with their schemes. In fact, the CAIF sites that an entire family, including an infant daughter, died when their car was hit by a truck when a staged accident went wrong.

10 Tips to Protect Yourself Against Staged Auto Accident Fraud:

1. Just don’t tailgate. Allow plenty of space between your car and the car ahead of you. This will give you ample time to stop if the lead car suddenly jams on its brakes.

2. Look beyond the car in front of you while driving. Apply your brakes if you see traffic slowing.

3. Count how many passengers were in the other car if you're in a collision. Get their names, phone numbers and driver's license — more people may file claims than were in the car. Also get the car's license number.

4. Keep a pen and paper in your glove compartment so you're always ready.

5. Keep an eye on how the passengers of the other car behave? Did they stand around and joke, but suddenly act injured when the police arrived?

6. If you can, keep a disposable camera in your glovebox. Take pictures of the other car, the damage it received — and the passengers.

7. Call the police to the scene. Get a police report with the officer's name, even for minor damage. If the police report notes just a small dent or scratch, it'll be harder for crooks to later claim serious injuries or car damage.

8. Get involved if you're a witness. Watch for the warning signs of a scam, and help the honest victim with details.

9. Contact your state insurance fraud bureau if a stranger tries to steer you to an unknown body shop, doctor, chiropractor or lawyer. Give officials the names, addresses and phone numbers of these providers. Only see medical and legal providers you know and trust, or at least ones that are recommended by people you trust. Never let yourself be suckered by a stranger off the streets.

10. Keep careful records of your medical treatments — dates, treatments given, and diagnoses. Compare your records against the statements you receive to make sure the bill wasn't padded or treatments outright fabricated.

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