SMASH GANGS IN M62 SCAM
Halifax Courier / 24th October 2005
Criminal gangs are staging car smashes on the motorway so they can put in fraudulent insurance claims.

There has been a cluster of scams on the M62 corridor, including Calderdale, and police in West Yorkshire have been investigating as many as 30 incidents.

The fraud gangs are driving an old car deliberately into another vehicle owned by an innocent motorist. They then use so-called 'independent' witnesses, who are part of the gang, to back up their claims for damage to their car and fake injuries to their passengers.

Now the Association of British Insurers has set up a free and confidential 'cheatline' for people who have any information about the cheats. It is hoped it will help insurers and police crack down on this expensive and dangerous crime.

"These fraudsters are endangering people's lives in a callous and calculating way," said Stephen Haddrill, the association's director general.

"The insurance industry is working closely with West Yorkshire police to expose these criminals and improve road safety in the region."

He advised motorists who believed they had been a victim of a staged accident to use their mobile phone, or a camera to photograph the other driver and damage to both vehicles. You should also call the police if you have been injured, record full details of the event, including the registration number of the other vehicle and passengers at the scene, look for any independent witnesses, preferably several, and pass on full details immediately to your insurer.

A spokeswoman for West Yorkshire police said: "False claims of this kind put lives at risk and are taken extremely seriously."

She said all accident reports are thoroughly investigated and police will soon realise if an accident has been staged or made up.

"Such irresponsible actions not only threaten public safety but also take up valuable police time which would be better placed dealing with real incidents and victims. Anyone who manufactures an accident or makes a false report is committing an offence and could easily find themselves in court. However, genuine victims have nothing to fear and should in no way be discouraged from coming forward."

If you know of anyone who has perpetrated or intends to perpetrate insurance fraud, then please use the report fraud section of this site to notify the ABI Cheatline.