Lights, camera, auto fraud: Scammers caught on video staging accident

For their roles in a staged auto accident, five Californians are each facing a single felony count of insurance fraud, according to the California Department of Insurance (CDI).

Unfortunately for the Inland Empire fraudsters, a home surveillance camera recorded the incident. Had the scheme been successful, the claim payment would have been more than $30,000, the CDI reported.

In the video, which the CDI has made available online, one fraudster is seen slowly driving an SUV into an intersection and then quickly exiting the vehicle. As the first fraudster flees the scene, a second SUV enters the frame and barrels into the empty vehicle. The driver of the second SUV is then seen quickly fleeing the accident scene as well.

When Ontario Police Department personnel arrived on the scene, a woman attempted to claim that she was the victim of a hit-and-run. However, witnesses soon came forward and said the woman had walked over to the vehicles after the crash had occurred. Based on these claims, the Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force launched its investigation.

To prevent policyholders from becoming victims in staged accident scams, the CDI recommends the following:

• Insist on a police report. Ask the officer to identify everyone involved in the accident.
• Document as much information about the crash as possible.
• Use a cellphone to record or photograph the post-accident damage.
• Report suspicious collisions to the state insurance regulator and law enforcement.

Related:

• Man loses workers’ comp benefits after not-so-total disability caught on camera
• Digital, mechanical & physical clues that hint at auto insurance fraud
• The Dirty Dozen: 2023 Fraud Hall of Shame