After the recent increase in the number of large groups being involved in the Crash for Cash insurance scam, many of those who have experienced an accident and had no choice other than to make a car insurance claim may now wonder if they were in fact, a victim of the scam.

Many motorists around Britain have already been tricked by the Crash for Cash car insurance scam as fraudsters stage collisions to scam their insurance company for cash.

The criminals are known to make exaggerated car insurance claims and even stage whiplash injuries after causing collisions by breaking heavily whilst driving leading innocent victims to hit the car from behind.

Operation Contact

However, earlier this year the force of both insurance firms and police had come together to crackdown on these insurance fraudsters across Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire. The operation was named Operation Contact.    

Earlier this month, an investigation by the Merseyside Crime Enterprise team and the Insurance Fraud Bureau, as part of Operation Contact, had found a group of 33 fraudsters who had scammed pay-outs from the same insurer by staging collisions at different sites.

More recently, another 13 fraudsters were caught forging accidents for cash.

What happens to the victims of Crash for Cash?

At the moment, victims of the insurance scam are unknown to whether the premiums of their car insurance policy will be reduced.

Victims are therefore, currently left with an increased car insurance policy for additional costs to cover any damages after being forced to make a claim.

Yet according to Alyson Wilson, a Detective Inspector of Merseyside Police’s Force Operations Unit, such a scam affects the whole motor industry and not only victims of Crash for Cash.

She said: "This is an unscrupulous crime that affects the premiums paid by the public and impacts on the whole of the motor insurance industry.”

Earlier this year, John Mountain, a detective inspector of West Yorkshire police said: “Innocent policy holders are paying for this kind of crime. Fraud increases the average premium by 5% or around £40.”

Chairman of the Insurance Fraud Bureau said: “We know these criminal gangs affect honest motorists in a number of different ways and are ruthless.

Through our partnership approach with the police we will continue to find, expose and pursue those criminals involved in organised insurance fraud.”  

In August this year, a gang of 13 people were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment after an investigation found that the gang had been involved in making fake insurance claims for compensation totalling over £250,000.

Detective Constable Julian Griffiths said: “This outcome sends out a clear message to fraudsters that their activities will be uncovered by the police and specialist agencies.

With support from the Crown Prosecution Service, the constabulary has also been able to restrain more than £1m in assets from those convicted with a view to securing confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

This legislation enables us to hit criminals where it hurts – in their pockets.”