Pickup truck leasing drivers warned of rise in 'crash for cash' scams
Tuesday 24 August 2010 | By Evolution InternetBack to Newsroom
Pickup truck leasing drivers have been warned to watch out for so-called 'crash for cash' scammers.
The scams involve drivers deliberately staging a crash in order to claim thousands in compensation.
Often they do this by slamming on their breaks in front of another vehicle so the accident appears to be the fault of the other driver.
According to the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), such incidents are on the rise with around 30,000 accidents staged each year and claims averaging around £17,000.
Sergeant Mark Beales, from Greater Manchester Police, told the BBC: "What these fraudsters tend to pick on are people who are single mums or elderly people, people who are less likely to cause them any issues.
"They also target drivers of commercial vehicles, because drivers tend not to care as much if they're not driving their own vehicle."
In the UK, Birmingham is the area in which such scams are most likely to happen, according to the IFB.
