Committed to tackling and investigating insurance fraud, Ageas worked with a customer to stop “crash for cash” scam.
First reported in London in 2023, “crash for cash” scams involving mopeds are now spreading to urban areas across the UK.
What typically plays out as a vehicle collision with a moped rider is in fact staged, a deliberate setup to look like an accident and thereafter allow the moped rider to claim for damage and potential injuries.
A recent victim of this type of scam is Judi.
Judi had heard it had been happening in her local area, but this did not lessen the emotional distress and subsequent impact it had on her life.
Judi said: “It’s one of those things you think can’t happen to you. I was aware of an issue, and I had even been deliberately avoiding the road where the accidents were happening.”
“Just after 10am I was driving to the shops around a one-way system. It was raining, and as the weather wasn’t nice, I was being careful.”
“When I turned onto another road this motorbike was coming towards me. It was going fast and wasn’t stopping. I was just thinking ‘what’s going on’, I was sitting there, and then he gets to my car and crashes into the bumper.”
“It wasn’t a loud noise, but my heart started to pound. I am in my early 60’s, I have been driving for decades and never had an accident, so this is a new experience for me. I got gradually more and more upset.”
At the time, understandably Judi wasn’t thinking the incident could be a deliberate setup.
She continued: “When it happened, I could not believe it. I got out the car and the moped rider quickly came over to me. I managed to take a photo of him but I was in shock, and he was so convincing. He immediately started taking photos and pulled up his insurance information. Initially I thought it was bad luck, but I later realised the nature of the incident was classic.”
Judi called her insurance company, Ageas.
She said: “The claims handler at Ageas was helpful and supportive. I can’t praise them enough.”
Paul Gunter, claim handler at Ageas, answered Judi’s call. Paul said: “The details of this incident presented the hallmarks of a fraud ring we’re aware of. After asking more questions to ensure I had all the information, I became certain our customer had been targeted. I asked whether she thought the driver had any intention of avoiding her car, mentioning that it sounds like the crash could have been deliberate. Judi then said that she knew that kind of thing had been happening on the next road along as it had been brought up on her neighbourhood WhatsApp group.”
Paul alerted the Ageas fraud intelligence team and instructed a trusted supplier to take a formal statement. He wrote to the moped rider’s insurer with the vehicle registration and image of their client captured by Judi, asking for a copy of the moped rider’s driving licence to confirm his age.
Within a few hours of the incident, Judi said she received a phone from the moped rider’s appointed claims management company asking for her version of events, and around a week after the incident, a letter and accident report was sent to her home address (which she had not given out) alleging her liability and that the moped was a write-off.
Judi said: “It was traumatic and initially I didn’t want to talk about it. The incident was small, but it really freaked me out. It affected my sleep, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
“It just so happened we have a WhatsApp group chat for my street that we set up during the pandemic to help neighbours with their shopping. It was on here that someone suggested we set up a specific group chat for these incidents.”
Soon enough people were sharing their experiences in this new group chat, and they notified the local police.
Judi said: “It was reassuring to speak to others who had gone through it. People should be angry not intimated; we should not be ashamed.”
“About 25 of us had been victims of the scam, so we began cross referencing. We compiled a spreadsheet with every bit of information we had – dates, times, names of the driver, registration of the bike. Each of us then shared this with our own insurance companies.”
Meanwhile Ageas had received a medical report and hire payment pack from the moped rider’s insurer. The claimant’s solicitor insisted that Judi had accepted liability and that they had the recording to prove it but when this was requested by Ageas the recording did not materialise. Ageas declined the claim on the basis that the moped rider had induced the accident with Judi’s vehicle.
Judi recalls: “It shook my confidence, and for about three weeks after I was reluctant to drive. Even now when I see a motorbike rider, it brings it the incident back.”
Judi hopes sharing her experience will help others. With the insight gathered from her WhatsApp group and from speaking with Ageas, she has some tips:
- “These scammers appear to target female drivers who are either alone or with children”
- “They will immediately take photos and present their insurance details promptly”
- “If you can, try and take a photo of them”
- “Be mindful if there is a witness as they could be part of the scam”
- “Look out for nearby residents who may have seen something”
- “If you get a phone call, refer them to your insurance company”
- “Do not discuss details with anyone other than your own insurer”
- “Warn your visitors, not just your neighbours”
Katie Davies, Director of Underwriting Services and Fraud at Ageas, said: “Along with the rest of the insurance industry, we are working hard to tackle fraud.”
“Despite the fraudsters’ well-rehearsed performance, our intel combined with Judi’s proactivity resulted in the motorbike rider’s insurer withdrawing their claim.”
“We want to raise awareness and warn drivers of the “crash for cash” scam, and we’re so thankful to Judi for wanting to share her experience to help inform others. If you suspect you’ve been targeted in a “crash for cash” scam, please report it to the police, your insurance company, and the Insurance Fraud Bureau chatline as soon as possible and help us stop these scammers.”
"It's also important to remember that if you are involved in a collision, the only information you need to share with the other driver is your name, telephone number, and vehicle registration. Your personal information can be valuable to criminals, so please protect yourself from identity theft by only sharing the necessary details.”
