Incidents of car insurance fraud may not be that common, but it does not mean that it is not real and it could never happen to you. Just to be on the safe side, it is best if you are aware of the common modus operandi of insurance frauds. Besides, it is one of the many reasons why car insurance rates climb up for honest-to-goodness policyholders to pay.
Like any accident, staged car accidents can leave any unsuspecting victim off guard. For this reason, drivers should always remind themselves to be focused, defensive and aware of the three most common forms of fraudulent car accidents. These are the following:
Side Swipe
For this act, a con artist positions his car in the outer lane of an intersection with two left-hand turn lanes. His target would be a driver turning left from the outer lane. The aim of the con artist is to side swipe a distracted driver drifting into the outer turn lane. This act works well at busy intersections, since a con artist can easily deny he is on the wrong even when he is. The result would be the victim ending up liable for the accident.
Swoop and Squat
This act involves two con cars and an unsuspecting driver. The plan goes like this: the swoop car should be a bit ahead of the two vehicles, then at the right moment, should turn in front of the squat car. As a natural reflex, the squat car driver should be forced to hit on the brakes and let the victim driver smash the back of his car, automatically putting the victim at fault. The swoop car disappears from the scene as the squat car driver and victim handle the situation. The victim is then left to shoulder property damage and personal injury.
Panic Stop
This is almost the same as the swoop and squat in terms of using a squat car and expected results. Except for this act, there is no swoop vehicle. The trick here is that scammers target distracted drivers and wait for a chance to pull the stunt on them. Whoever is at the rear end is almost automatically considered at fault in rear end collision accidents.
Getting into an accident because of having too many distractions while driving does not only affect your future car insurance rates. It can also jeopardize your life as it increases your risk of actually getting into one, real or not.