Car insurance frauds are a result of intentional dumping of cars in dump yards, posing fake damages on cars to avoid paying insurance premiums and setting up accident scams. There are several ways that a person indulges in order to come up with car insurance frauds. If you want to deal with car insurance frauds you must be well aware of insurance con artists who come up with acts that look like real car accidents or mishaps. You will have to pay higher premiums if you become a victim of car insurance frauds.
Types of Car Insurance Frauds
Car insurance frauds can range from made up accidents to innocent looking damages caused by apparently innocent people like lawyers and doctors. Insurance claims for fake injuries on cars are another major scam.
People using cell phones while driving can come across scam car accidents. Stolen cars also form a part of car insurance frauds. The reality about stolen cars is such that an owner falsely claims his/her car being stolen. This is done to settle insurance claims. Abandoned, buried or burnt cars are often traced in areas suggesting major fraud.
Forged titles and registrations become a part of car insurance frauds. This type of scam involves insuring a vehicle that does not exist at all! After forging the details, the owner (scammer) reports about his/her car being stolen and files for his/her car insurance claims.
A car owner can hide his/her car and avoid insurance premium. After reporting false car theft, the owner can proceed for insurance claim settlement.
How Do People Commit Car Insurance Frauds By Mistake
Providing wrong information during creating an insurance policy should be avoided. Most accurate information is the best way to avoid being called a fraud. If you are unable to remember the exact details of your parking tickets, past accidents or other car related problems, you must not make a guess and jot down details randomly. Instead, check your records to get proper estimates. All these details might not seem important to you but for car insurance companies these are valuable information required to assess your auto insurance quote.
Taking wrong advice from friends should be avoided while filing for car insurance. You must not skip details while preparing for your first ever car insurance. A friend’s advice in getting a lowered insurance rate or a high claim amount might get you into a soft fraud. Do not skip details during filing.
When a person forgets detailed information of a car accident it can lead to future fraud accusations. You must jot down accident details if you are in the right frame of mind and body. Inaccurate and inconsistent facts will accuse you of possible frauds.
Penalties in Car Insurance Frauds
Providing false information can lead to serious penalty. If your claims are based on false information, you will surely have your claim denied. It can also cost added payments for the damages of your car. Usually accidental frauds fall under soft fraud category. You will be assessed on the type of car insurance frauds you are a part of and the penalty could be a jail of 5 years. There could be huge sums of fine as well. Your insurance coverage can get cancelled if you are found to be involved in a fraud. You can save yourself by buying another car insurance to prevent a cancelled insurance coverage.
Brief of Car Insurance Frauds
Car insurance frauds occur for various reasons. People providing false information, less information or making false claims can end up being caught in car insurance frauds. Creating false scenarios is the basis of car insurance frauds. “Hard Fraud” takes place when intentional acts are carried out in the form of forged car injuries, collision, fake car thefts, false damages and bogus accidents. There are several car insurance scam networks that run in order to make money through the numerous people associated with the gangs.
A “Soft Fraud” takes place when an individual provides exaggerated information during an insurance policy sign-up. A soft fraud also takes place when a party fails to give correct information while filing his/her claims.
Steps to Follow
We often come across staged road accidents that are acted out solely to cover up car insurances. To prevent these scams and in the way preventing yourself from getting involved, you can report to the cops and other authorities. Act immediately when you become suspicious of car thefts and accidents.
- If you come across drivers wanting to exchange papers and run away, simply call the cops. This will prevent you from getting into a car insurance fraud. Make the cops catch the driver from getting away.
- Click pictures of the accident scene. Get clear views of the car that is carrying out the offense. In spite of doctors and lawyers claiming the guilty person’s innocence, your evidences can be of great help for the system.
- Attend to the court summons. Visit the court along with your attorney and keep all forms of evidences such as photos, information and other documents with you.
- Jot down the type, shape and model of the car. Note down the car number before you leave the accident scene.
