Common Road Traffic Accident Scams

There are numerous traffic accident scams circulating in the UK at any given time. With the increase in personal injury claims up and insurance claims skyrocketing, the Insurance Fraud Bureau is responsible for investigating every suspected false insurance claim. Due to the number of possible suspect claims, it's almost impossible to fully investigate them all, hence many scams and false claims fall under the radar.

In the last 9 years or so, fraudulent insurance investigators have exposed over 25,000 false or staged accidents. Some suggest that criminals are cashing in on over 200 million pounds a year so clearly there is money to be made in traffic scams.

Organised Traffic Scams

Throughout the UK there are numerous criminal gangs operating purely to set up traffic accidents. They then place personal injury claims to benefit from the cash that can be made there and are receiving huge cash payouts from doing so. Many gangs will help each other stage accidents with unsuspecting motorists by setting up a situation that encourages a serious crash or minor accident.

Insurance fraud investigators believe that setting up such situations isn't as difficult as it may at first appear, with many of these teams of traffic criminals strategically waiting at certain locations ready to pounce on their victim. There are a number of common scams that exist and knowing what to look out for can greatly reduce your chances of becoming a victim

The Swoop and Squat

Often when stuck in heavy traffic on the motorways of the UK, people become frustrated and start seeking short cuts to exit the traffic. It's very common for the driver in front of you to be forced to slam on the breaks when another driver cuts in front of him. Sadly for you, if you're going even slightly too fast, there's a high probability you may rear-end the driver in front. In many cases this is a genuine accident, but in some it's not - it's an organised gang seeking to extort money through insurance fraud.

Known to police as the 'swoop and squat', this manoeuvre is named aptly. The first car will swoop in while the second car squats in front of you. Normally the 'squat' car is filled with passengers who will all claim that you rear-ended them. Your insurance will be contacted with fake claims of whiplash or other difficult to confirm injuries. They will normally even go to the extent of attending hospital or doctors surgeries looking for medical advice. This will serve them well in the long run as it makes their claim look more genuine.

The Sideswipe

Another common traffic accident scam is the 'sideswipe'. The sideswipe is miraculously easy to pull off as all it entails is you drifting slightly out of your lane when turning a corner. The car next to you will intentionally speed up so that you bump them and this is then considered a sideswipe. Because you're outside your own lane, even marginally, the car has a claim against you and will often pursue this along with personal injury claims.

The Drive Down

One of the cruellest and easiest traffic scams to carry out is the 'drive down'. In a busy section of traffic, you may be struggling to get out of your lane as you attempt to merge into the main flow of traffic. The driver behind you will wave you on, as though allowing you to enter the lane in front of him. At this stage they will actually speed up to slam into the back of your car. Of course when the authorities arrive at the scene, it will look like you came out into the lane unlawfully and the driver of the other car will deny ever giving you permission to pull in front of him.

The T-Bone

The T-Bone is a difficult traffic scam manoeuvre to pull off as it requires exact placement of not only you and the other car, but also of witnesses. What tends to happen is that you will be about to cross an intersection and a car from a side street will accelerate to hit you. It can give you quite the shock and often panic clouds your judgement on what actually happened. When the police arrive, the driver of the other car and all of the planted witnesses will try and claim that you weren't paying attention or went through the traffic lights on red. This of course can be a very difficult situation to be in and can take months to counter-arguing to prove you weren't the guilty party.

Protecting Yourself from Traffic Accident Scams

Unfortunately there are no fail-safe ways of completely protecting yourself from these traffic accident scams, but being aware of them means you're better educated to spot them. Always avoid tailgating and drive responsibly. If you are involved in an accident, get as many details as possible and if you can, get photos of the scene. Contact the correct authorities to help with your case and hopefully you will be able to avoid these cruel scams.