Protecting Yourself from Car Insurance Fraud Scams |
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Steven Magill
15 January 2013
You will pay dearly if you fall victim to car insurance fraud scams. Not just with your hard-earned financial resources but consequently may even be with your lives. This is why it is important to be alert and stay defensive against such schemes. There are a number of fraud protection measures that one may adopt to protect himself or his family.
The history of insurance fraud began almost the moment it is invented. Ship scuttling was an insurance scam in ancient Greece where ships were purposely sunk. Later insurance fraud travelled to England then to America. When automobiles were introduced it opened a whole new arena for fraudulent insurance claims. Today, with modern technology, many fraudulent car accident claims do arise from sophisticated organized crime rings that can be hard to detect. Don't let this make you a victim of an insurance scam. Whether the insurance scam is from an organized crime ring or an individual, there are fraud protection steps you can take to help you be more aware and avoid being a scammer's next victim.
The first thing that needs to be determined is what is the particular mode of operation (modus operandi) is being used against by the particular scammer or group of scammers. There are many types of car insurance scams. Set-up car accidents can range from vehicles deliberately stopping in front of a driver to cause a rear-end car accident to drivers who pretend they are being helpful but intend to cause a car accident that will look like the innocent drivers fault. Scams can also involve people one would generally trust such as doctors and lawyers.
Getting yourself educated about fraud protection against car insurance accident scams is the best way to avoid not being another victim the next time such organized crime spins their web on your locality. The following are common scams pulled off by these con men:
1.Stageding of a Supposed Rear-End Car Accidents - Here a supposed driver will quickly get in front of an innocent car and then slam on their brakes. This causes the innocent driver to rear-end the scam driver causing immediately a need for bumper repair on their. Along with collecting money for vehicle damages, the scam driver will often fake medical injuries to collect even more.
2.Adding Intentional Damage - This happens after an accident, staged or not. The scam driver will go to another location and cause extensive damage to their vehicle and claim that the damage happened during the original accident even if what you only inflicted in their vehicle would only require a little car bumper repair.
3.Bogus Helpers - Someone will pretend to help and will wave an innocent driver into traffic, but then crash into the innocent driver. When it comes time to file the claim, the scam driver will deny waving anyone in. Other ways fake helpers try to scam people is by offering to help an innocent driver find an auto repair shop, doctor, or lawyer. In this case, everyone is in on the scam. The body shop charges you enormous rates; the doctor and lawyer also lie to collect more from your insurance.
Scams like these can happen at any time and place, it is important to be prepared. Awareness is the most important. Watch for drivers who may be following you or examining your driving habits. Also, make sure you leave plenty of room in front of you in order to stop. If an accident does happen, take notes on everything about the other car, the accident, and everybody that was in the other car. Keep a disposable camera in your car to record damage to both vehicles. Furthermore, use your judgment in driving, not others. Make sure you have enough room to get out and just let other cars pass instead of letting others "waive you in." And, when you talk to your insurance company, let them know if you felt something was suspicious.