Motorists have been warned to be vigilant after a 60-fold increase in “crash for cash” fraud claims involving motorbike and scooter riders staging accidents so they can blame innocent drivers.
The insurer Allianz said its data showed that claims relating to this scam increased by 6,000% between January and December 2023 – a significant jump from the 50% increase the year before.
This type of insurance fraud typically involves an “induced accident”, in which a rider attempts to deliberately get hit by a vehicle in order to make a claim.
Criminals often target drivers as they park their cars – for example, they will ride past just as the driver opens the car door so that it hits the motorbike or scooter, with the aim being to make it appear the motorist’s fault.
Allianz said its data showed that four in 10 of these “accidents” happened during the afternoon and evening school run and rush hour – between 3pm and 7pm. Lunchtime also seemed to be a “prime time” for fraudsters, with 27% of collisions happening between 11am and 2pm.
More than half of the incidents took place in Greater London. Croydon and Enfield were named as “hotspot” locations for this type of fraud.
The consumer organisation Which? has previously said that new variations of this type of fraud have also been emerging, including “wing mirror scams”, where a fraudster throws an object at a passing car to make an impact sound, then pursues the driver claiming they have clipped their wing mirror (which was already damaged) and then either demanding cash or initiating a claim.
Matt Crabtree, head of financial crime intelligence and investigation strategy at Allianz’s personal lines business, said: “It’s shocking that we’ve seen a 60-fold increase in the number of motorbike ‘crash for cash’ claims in 2023.”
Innocent victims were being physically and emotionally affected by this crime, and it was also putting children, passersby and others at significant risk, he added.
Allianz, which includes the general insurance arm of LV=, said that as well as targeting large cities, organised criminal gangs were focusing their attention on small towns and the outskirts of cities, including places such as Thornton Heath, in the London borough of Croydon, and Hagley, a few miles outside Birmingham.
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The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), the organisation that heads up the industry’s fight against insurance fraud, said it was urging the public “to be vigilant to signs of this dangerous activity”.
The advice from insurers includes being alert to any unusual driving behaviour and taking particular care at junctions and when pulling out from a parked position or side road.
Earlier this month Allianz said there had been a surge in fraud cases recently in which photos were manipulated using apps and software in order to show fake car crash damage.