Deception in British whiplash injuries claims

Fraud in United Kingdom whiplash injuries claims

Insurance fraud is amongst the key factors behind the rise in insurance fees that we have seen in recent years. One very sophisticated form of fraud involves staging road accidents which bring about claims for whiplash compensation being made by the alleged occupants of the vehicle. Such cases can involve claims costs in the region of £20-£30,000 per case, which makes the exercise very profitable for the fraudster and extremely damaging for the insurer and ultimately the innocent motorist.

This sort of fraud has a tendency to occur in larger towns and cities. The fraudsters have various ways of creating a car accident situation, which may involve an unwitting other party or a conspiracy involving vehicle owners who willingly contribute towards a collision and play a role in the ensuing fraud.

Accidents involving the public who definitely are not linked to the fraudsters have become quite common. The usual tactic involves the fraudster choosing their victim randomly, driving ahead of the victim's vehicle , then slamming on the brakes to result in a tail-end shunt type accident. In most cases the brake lights for the fraudster's vehicle will likely be defective making sure that when the brakes are engaged the innocent victim does not have any warning that the fraudster has slammed them on. The next part of this staged accident involves witnesses appearing in the viscinity who claim to have witnessed the events and of course fully support the fraudster. Often the fraudsters vehicle is loaded with passengers and every one will have suffered a whiplash injury. This enables the gang to claim the greatest amount of money from just one single innocuous incident. The innocent victim, unaware of the collusion taking place around him, simply reports the matter to his insurer as a fault accident.

Another common fraud involves taking two vehicles to a scrapyard and damaging them appropriately. Accident circumstances are then concocted to aid a fault accident by one of the vehicle drivers and after that a familiar pattern develops with vehicle occupants claiming injury and seeking compensation for whiplash and associated costs. This type of fraud is much more prevalent in comparison to the scam involving staged accidents.

The insurers are fighting back with very sophisticated IT systems that could detect certain traits and accident circumstances that highlight potential fraudulent cases. Staff are now trained to detect staged accidents and to investigate cases thoroughly before they decide to make any compensation payments. On many occasions, the claims are refused and legal proceedings are invited. Claims at this stage will either be stopped by the fraudsters or should they be feeling particularly confident, will probably be pressed all the way towards a date at court. It's a question of whether the court accepts the case is honest depending on the evidence gathered by each party.

The police will also be involved in the process and should generally investigate any case that suggests fraudulent activity is taking place. The police know the tactics used by the fraud gangs, who are very often employed in unison with the insurance providers. It is, however, thought that for every successful prosecution, there are plenty of fraudsters who simply slip from the net.

If you believe you have been in an accident involving fraudulent activity, you should notify your insurers as well as the police immediately of the concerns. Try and take notes and record any conversations that you have with the other party as this evidence may be crucial in the future. Do not enter into any discussions about your suspicions, this might lead to unnecessary aggravation and possibly an assault if the fraudsters are challenged in this way. Give information in the appropriate manner and enable the authorities to do their work.