Londoners are voicing their fears about innocent drivers being targeted in staged “crash for cash” scams. Fraudsters intentionally cause car accidents, and lodge false insurance claims.

Footage shared exclusively with City News appears to show multiple incidents on the same residential street.

Resident Frances Tew says she watched a moped driver wait for half-an-hour at the same corner before driving directly into an oncoming car. On one occasion, Tew says the victim was pressured into handing over her driver’s license details. “I feel cross,” she said, “and I worry that it could happen to me any time I leave the house”.

These scams are widespread. The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) says that a fraudulent crash-for-cash claim is detected every four minutes across the UK, and analysis by LV insurance shows that London is the top hotspot, with more than half of recorded incidents occurring in the capital.

City of London police listed some warning signs for motorists to watch out for.

  • Beware of single parked vans near junctions. ‘Crash for cash’ moped riders often use them as hiding spots.
  • Be wary of moped riders loitering or acting suspiciously in residential areas. Often, they will hang around in small roads off busy high streets before staging a collision.
  • ‘Crash for cash’ fraudsters overreact and fake injuries after crashes.
  • Moped riders will often keep their helmets on after a collision to avoid identification.

Nicola Smith, Intelligence and Investigations Manager at the IFB, said London is particularly seeing a rise in moped drivers ‘driving straight at vehicles…throwing themselves onto the floor, and then applying pressure onto the victim to hand over details, or potentially cash’.

The bureau estimates that over the last three years, moped crash-for-cash scams in London have been connected to £50 million of fraudulent claims.

During these collisions, although the damage is often minor the scammers may throw their moped to the ground and quickly start taking photos, loudly insisting the other driver is at fault. They may also be joined by an accomplice who claims to have witnessed the incident and supports their false claims.

The IFB says the victim may be pressured to hand over personal documents such as a driving licence or insurance certificate, which the scammers photograph on the spot and can then be used for further fraudulent activity. The IFB says one victim’s identity was used to open more than 40 fraudulent insurance policies.

There have also been warnings that, while anyone can fall victim of this, scammers may be targeting women and elderly people driving alone, believing they may be more vulnerable to coercion.

Even in cases where fraudsters simply file an exaggerated claim of injury or damage, the prevalence of these scams increase insurance premiums for all London drivers, and any car accident always carries a risk of genuine harm.

Nicola Smith stated that the IFB is working closely with police and insurers to stop the fraud, and gave advice to Londoners on how to spot and avoid the scams.

  • Stay vigilant about any incidents that don’t feel right. Do you feel like the other driver was driving in a manner that wouldn’t be expected for the conditions?
  • Stay calm, don’t be pressured into admitting fault, and don’t be tempted to hand over any cash.
  • Collect as much information about the incident as possible. Take pictures of the vehicles at the scene, note down as much as possible, gather any witnesses and any dashcam or doorbell footage.
  • If you feel unsafe, remove yourself from the situation and call 999 or 101, and report the incident to the IFB’s cheat line.
  • The only details you need to share when involved in a motor incident is your name, address, and insurance details. You do not need to share your driver’s license or any of its details.

London news | News