Believe it or not insurance scams are quite common. In 2019, more than half a million insurance cams were busted. It is easy to become a victim of car insurance scams without even noticing. Many of the most common scams are subtle so you have to be careful. Insurance scams cause insurance rates to be raised. Imagine being in a car accident and you just simply want to make a fair recovery claim. Instead, you are victimized by a scam that targets accident insurance. This can be quite frustrating. Being observant during the claims process is important. This can help you avoid being victimized by insurance scams.
Popular Insurance Scams
It is important to know the different types of car insurance scams so that you can protect yourself. As absurd as this may sound, many scammers purposely cause accidents so they can make insurance claims. It’s crucial to stay focused while driving as these persons will swerve in front of you and force your vehicle to rear-end theirs. This is known as Forced Rear-Ending Insurance Fraud. Because you are the driver behind, the accident is automatically your fault. These scammers may also complain of neck and back injuries. A dashboard camera can be helpful in situations like these. Also, drivers with the right of way in traffic may give you a chance to cut in only to intentionally run into your vehicle. This also occurs with parking spaces. You can avoid this by only proceeding when you have the right of way.
Another car insurance scam includes phantom victims. These are not real ghosts but persons who were not in the accident claiming that they were. If you are in an accident it is a good idea to take photographic evidence of the number of victims involved to avoid these fraudulent claims. There are also counterfeit and car accident repair insurance scams. Repair companies may try to scam you by claiming you need repairs that you actually do not. They may also overcharge you for replacement parts. Also, repair shops may use counterfeit replacement parts on your car. These knockoff parts may risk your safety while driving. Tow truck companies may also take advantage of accident victim. They may overcharge your insurance company for their services or charge for services they did not render. Be sure to only work with repair and tow truck companies you are familiar with to avoid these fraudulent activities.
The Frequency of Car Insurance Scams
In 2019, about 469, 000 fraudulent claims were made. This information was gathered by the Association of British Insurers (ABI). The average fraudulent claim valued £12,000. The most common scams involved motor insurance. Last year, 55,000 fraudulent motor insurance claims were detected. The majority of these include personal injury claims. Staged crashes were quite common. Insurance companies are responding to this information by creating new methods to detect scammers. It is imperative that you also take the necessary steps to protect yourself.
If you want to avoid such scams and deal with reputable insurance providers, take a look at the helpful overview of cheap car insurance from moneyexpert.com.
