by Myron Jobson
Caravanners beware, anti-fraud experts are warning motorists of a new insurance scam dubbed ‘flash for cash’ where drivers flash their lights to allow innocent drivers in front of them, and then purposefully crash into them.
The scam is employed to use the crash they caused to put in false injury claims such as whiplash and back problems resulting from the accident.
Other claims can include fraudulent costs for repairs and a claim for lost personal items such as earrings. Gangs can gain tens of thousands of pounds per ‘accident’ in this way.
Caravanners and motorhomes owners especially should therefore be wary of these tactics.
The Asset Protection Unit, which helps the police and insurance companies to investigate fraud, claims these criminals prey on expensive cars and vulnerable road users – i.e. those who wouldn’t put up a fight against the incident.
Caravans and motorhomes are relatively expensive and some owners might not contest an accident but might instead blame it on the difficulty in towing a large vehicle.
Some even remove their brake lights so that other road users don’t know when they are stopping according to police investigators.
Flash for cash is a new variation of a well established crime called ‘crash for cash’ whereby drivers slam on their brakes for no reason, giving the other motorist no time to hit the brakes, resulting in a crash.
However, the new scam is even more devious because it’s hard for the victim to prove their innocence in a court of law: it’s their words are pitted against another’s.
Usually, motorists courteously flash their lights to let people out onto busy roads but beware of sinister motorists who abuse this show of good manners for their selfish personal gain.
