Insurance companies crackdown on fradulent van insurance claims
Insurance companies are set to crackdown on fraudulent claims on van insurance because of the increase in the number of “crash for cash” accidents.
The Insurance Fraud Bureau claims that “induced accidents” are being a serious problem. Some drivers are deliberately crashing their vans to profit from fraudulent insurance claims
“The criminal gangs targeting honest motorists are ruthless,” says John Beadle, chairman of the IFB. “Innocent lives are being put at risk and fraudulent insurance claims add approximately £40 to every premium paid by honest policy holders each year.”
There have been cases where the drivers involved in the accidents have disabled their break lights so that the vehicle behind them will have no warning to slow down.
Once the parties involved in the crash have exchanged their details, then the fraudulent drivers will begin to claim damages for their vehicles and personal injuries that they haven’t actually suffered.
There have been reported cases of drivers claiming for the full occupancy of passengers despite only one person being in the vehicle at the time of the crash. There are more organised fraudsters who act as “phantom witnesses” and claim to have been at the scene of accident when they weren’t.
The most likely injury that these cash-for-cash fraudsters are likely to claim are for whiplash. This is because stiffness in the neck, back and shoulders is more difficult for insurers to determine if a claim is genuine or not. The recession has seen false insurance claims rise to over 2000 per week according to the Association of British Insurers
