Have you been involved in a car accident and something just felt off? Your instincts might be right. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, car insurance fraud has become a big business and you might just be a victim. Staged car accidents are much more common in urban areas where there are more cars and better insurance companies. Criminals target women and senior citizens because they are more vulnerable and less confrontational at car accident scenes. If you believe you are a victim of a staged car accident, contact the police and get in touch with a New Bedford car accident lawyer as soon as possible.
Staged car accidents are dangerous because they can cause death or serious injuries to honest policyholders. They might also result in the policyholder having to pay more for auto insurance. The best way to avoid being a victim is to know what to look out for.
Different Types of Car Insurance Fraud
Staged Car Accidents
Drive Down
In this scheme, a driver slows down and motions you to merge your vehicle into traffic. As you move ahead to join traffic, they speed up and crash into your car. The driver, of course, denies being on the wrong and even accuses you of pulling into traffic when it wasn’t clear. They will then claim the accident was your fault and proceed to file a car accident claim against you. This scheme can also happen when you are at an intersection preparing to make a right or a left turn. For instance, when you attempt to make a right turn, a driver will run into the left side of your car and claim you pulled into traffic when it wasn’t safe.
Swoop and Squat
This elaborate scheme involves three cars; yours and the criminals’. The driver of the “squat” car, will position themselves in front of your car. The “swoop” car driver will intentionally cut off the squat car driver by pulling ahead of them. This causes the squat car driver to instantly hit their brakes. You, on the other hand, will rear end the squat car because you didn’t anticipate the accident and your reaction time might not be as fast. The swoop car will drive off immediately, never to be traced again. Even though it’s very clear the swoop car caused the accident, the squat car owner will file a car accident claim against you because the swoop car owner is nowhere to be found.
Panic Stop
In this scheme, the criminals typically drive an older car full of passengers. They will then position themselves in front of your car while one of the passengers watches and waits for you to get distracted. The driver will then slam on the brakes causing you to rear end their car.
Windshield Replacement Offer
Here’s how it works; a glass replacement contractor will trick you into replacing your windshield even though the damage is minimal. The driver can approach you at a gas station, car wash or a shopping center. The contractor will entice you to sign an Assignment of Benefits to allow them to handle the repair and claim process on your behalf. Most of the time, they will file a car accident claim with your insurer behind your back and they will work with unscrupulous car accident lawyers.
Not only can giving in to this scam affect the rate of your policy, it can lead to cancelation and the quality of the replaced windshield moigh be subpar. The best way to avoid this scam is to walk away or call your insurance agent if you need your windshield replaced.
Towing Scam
You’ve been involved in a car accident in New Bedford and a tow truck appears out of nowhere, there’s a good chance they will extort hundreds of dollars from you if you accept their request to tow your car to their repair shop. If you didn’t call for a tow truck and no one at the accident scene did, then how did the tow company know the exact time to show up?
Hire a New Bedford Car Accident Lawyer Today
Ensure that you always call the police no matter how minor the accident might be. Take a picture of the accident scene and observe how everyone is acting in the other car. You also need to find a good car accident lawyer near New Bedford to evaluate your case free of charge.
