Crash for cash: Birmingham has the highest number of incidents

If you live in the Midlands watch out for crash for cash scams the area has taken eight of the top ten spots in a new rundown of the areas with the most fraudulent insurance claims.

New data has revealed that Birmingham is the UK’s crash for cash capital with the highest number of fraudulent accidents have taken place.

There is a clear geographic divide when it comes to crash for cash scams with the vast majority taking place in the Midlands and the North West.

The data, released by the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), reveals that of the top 30 postcodes for crash for cash scams include 10 entries for Birmingham, with five of those in the top 10.

Manchester comes next in the unfortunate rankings with five postcodes in the top 30. In contrast, only three postcodes are in the London area, and those are the only ones in the south.

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The top 10 crash for cash hotspots

A crash for cash scam is where criminals stage an accident by deliberately damaging a vehicle – either with a blunt object or by inducing an accident – in order to make money from the insurance claim.

The initial accident insurance claim is then followed up with fraudulent claims for personal injury and car hire.

These scams are believed to cost the insurance industry around £336 million a year, with a single incident costing thousands.

Insurance firms blame the cost of crash for cash scams for a large increase in insurance premiums in recent years.

“Fraudsters are taking vehicles out on public roads and forcing innocent people into needless collisions,” says Ben Fletcher, director of the IFB.

“Not only does that present a real risk of injury, but sadly of at least one fatality that has occurred as a result of these incredibly dangerous and reckless incidents.”

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How to spot a crash for cash scam

If you think you have been the victim of a crash for cash scam you should make a note of as much information as possible and report it to the Police.

The IFB is also calling on people to report cases to their Cheatline on 0800 422 0421.

“These hotspots may be the worst affected areas for these types of scams, but crash for cash collisions can happen anywhere, so it’s imperative that road users are aware of them, exercise appropriate caution and if they believe they’ve been a victim, report it as soon as they can,” says Fletcher.

If you’ve been in a crash here are three signs it may be a scam:

1. The other driver appears to be much calmer than you would expect after being involved in an accident;
2. The other driver has already written down their insurance details before the accident;
3. The injuries the other party are claiming for seem to be far more serious than the impact of the crash could have caused.

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