Fraud Alerts/PSAs

A seemingly simple fender bender might really be a financial fraud.

In the Staged Auto Collision Scam, criminals quickly pull in front of another vehicle and hit the brakes, causing a rear-end collision that appears to be the other driver’s fault. The fraudsters then collect payouts from the victim’s insurance.

Scammers use a variety of tricks, such as waving for victims to merge and then suddenly pulling forward so that their vehicle is struck, saying a crash caused damage that was already on a vehicle and falsely claiming they and their passengers were seriously injured.

TIPS:

• Immediately call police to a crash scene.
• Take photos of the other person’s driver’s license, license plate, vehicle damage and passengers.
• Don’t use a body shop recommended by the other driver; it could be part of the scam.

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