Car and truck windows become damaged for various reasons including road debris, vandalism and fender-benders. But in Florida, for instance, these types of claims grew by 52% from 2015 through 2019, and a recent survey by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) indicted there may be a reason other than accidents and other common mishaps: fraud. Alan Haskins, NICB's vice president of government affairs, said the uptick in auto glass claims over five years could be a fraud red flag. "Some fraudulent auto glass companies are convincing consumers to sign an assignment of benefits (AOB) form, which means you are giving up your rights to the auto glass company," Haskins said in a recent press release. "When a consumer signs over their claim, they are no longer in control if there is a dispute over inflated repairs and may be eventually named in a lawsuit. Some unscrupulous auto glass companies are turning this into a lucrative business by inflating the insurance claim and collecting the money for themselves. This type of AOB abuse is a scam and must be stopped." The NICB is especially concerned about fraudulent auto glass claims in Florida, the U.S. state that had the second-highest number of claims during the five years surveyed. The organization suggests the following steps to help insureds avoid being pressured into what could be a fraudulent auto repair: |

• Work only with licensed and insured vendors.
• Ask for references, and check them.
• Ask to see employee identification.
• Get everything in writing including repair costs, scheduling and payment arrangements.
• Don't be pushed or pressured into signed anything.
• Never pay cash up front.
• Get more than one estimate.
• Never sign a repair contract in which some detail are left blank.

The slideshow above indicates the top five states in the country for auto glass claims between 2015 and 2019, according to the NCIB. Related: |

• 7 most common auto insurance claims
• Consumers' top-rated car insurance companies of 2020
• 6 ways your windshields will change soon