THE moment a despicable ‘cash-for-crash’ motorcyclist faked an accident to bag insurance money was captured on camera.
The crook deliberately swerved in front of a car before carefully placing his moped on the road and rolling around on the floor.
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The idiotic biker was spotted hiding behind a parked van on a quiet London street as he waited for victims.
After spotting an approaching car, he pulled into the road and slowly drove towards the people carrier.
The bike got close enough to the car without any actual contact before the crook hopped off and gently placed it on the floor.
The victim driving the car immediately stopped and watched as the shameless biker slumped to the floor – making it look like he’d been struck.
A passer-by saw the man on the floor and ran over to help.
They took their phone out and took photos of the faked crash.
City of London Police shared the footage to raise awareness around ‘crash for cash’ scams.
“Crash for cash fraud is when drivers or moped riders stage road traffic collisions to profit from fraudulent insurance claims,” they wrote on their video.
“There has been an increase in crash for cash fraud involving mopeds.
“Over 4,000 people were targeted from June 2021 to 2024,” they added.
Insurance company Allianz revealed there has been a 60-time increase in cases since the start of 2024.
Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) believes that £27 million is currently being fought over thanks to dodgy claims.
The hustle involves deliberately causing a crash in a way which makes it look like the other driver’s fault in order to win insurance payouts.
Common methods include suddenly stopping in a clear road (a.k.a brake checking), relying on the myth that the driver behind is automatically at fault in a rear-end collision.
Like the crook in the video, criminals often use cheap mopeds which they can easily write off and pocket the cash.
The dastardly scheme is particularly prevalent in major cities and could cost victims thousands, as well as plunging them into a lengthy and stressful dispute process.
Another insurer, Ageas, has now warned that there are also particular types of vehicles at higher risk of being targeted by scammers.
Experts at the firm are reporting a shift away from normal passenger cars and an increase in cash for crash incidents involving vans.
How to protect yourself against ‘Cash for Crash’ scams
‘Cash for Crash’ scams are on the rise, so here’s how you can avoid falling victim
- Be cautious when on the road and give all drivers adequate distance in front and behind.
- Fitting a dashcam to the front and rear of your vehicle can help deter offenders. If you become victim to, or witness, a ‘crash for cash’ incident, dashcam footage may help prove that an insurance claim is fraudulent. It could also help the police prosecute offenders.
- If you see a suspicious crash, offer to be a witness to the driver. Gather as much information as possible. This could be the make and model of the moped, its number plate or the clothing the moped rider is wearing.
- ‘Crash for cash’ moped riders may try to pressure you into presenting your driving licence and insurance certificate after a collision, which they will photograph on their mobile phone. In some instances, the information on these documents has been used to fraudulently take out insurance policies. Protect your ID from being compromised by only providing the other driver with the insurance information that is legally required.
Fraudsters will apparently wait until a van is reversing and then pull behind it to cause a crash, taking advantage of the LGV’s significant blind spots.
However, everyday drivers are still at risk as another popular swindle is to take a similar approach to cars emerging from blind bends or junctions with low visibility.
Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to protect yourself from the scam.
All you need to do is make sure you can prove that you were not at fault for any collision.
The easiest way to do this is to install a dash cam on your vehicle.
Cheap cameras can be picked up for as little as £6 online and provide great protection against this sort of scam.
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