A group of fraudsters have been convicted after attempting a large “crash for cash” scam in Ely, Cardiff.
Eight men tried to claim against an insurer for a set-up crash involving a bus and trying to make claims in excess of £50,000. They were unable to do so when CCTV video evidence showed the minor accident followed by their delayed reactions.
“Cash for crash” scams involve deliberate car crashes, set up by one or both parties in order to claim on insurance. Police have however cracked down on this tactic in recent years.
Cardiff Crown Court heard how gang ringleader drove a rented car into the back of a bus which was carrying seven accomplices. CCTV footage shows one fraudster falling to the floor and the others did not initially move before being seen to rub their necks.
Investigators from the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department were alerted after receiving numerous injury claims from the bus and concluded that the minimal impact of the crash would only have caused a minor vibration. They were also able to establish from social media that two of the claimants were friends with the car driver.
The car driver was jailed for 12 months and banned from driving for two years.
Crash for cash – gang convicted