Automotive Journal

Getting into a car accident is never good, but finding out that you have fallen to a car insurance scam can make matters much worse. You will find that your insurance rates will go up and your policy may even be canceled. You will also get points on your license. This will make any new car insurance quotes that you get extremely high, simply because you were scammed. This is something that happens all of the time, so you need to know how people scam insurance companies in order to avoid it.

There are many scam artists out there that will stage a rear end accident. They will find a person that they want to scam and swerve in front of them leaving them no room to maneuver. This causes a rear end collision. Nearly all rear end collisions are found to be the fault of the second car, so the scammed person will have to take the fall.

The people who perpetuate these scams will also try for a medical claim scam as well. The person may be able to talk a doctor into the fact that they have gotten hurt, or they may have an accomplice that is paid to falsify medical documentations. In either case, your insurance is the one that will pay the bills. In litigious states, such as California, this can be a particularly troublesome scam.

Another popular scam originates in a real accident. The way the scam works is the person who has damage to their car creates more damage before a repair estimate can be made. There is no way for anyone to prove that this extra damage did not come from the accident itself.

The third most common car insurance scam is known as the helpful scam. This is when a person tells you that the path is clear, such as when you are changing lanes, but the truth is that it is not. Later, when the accident is investigated, the person who told you it was clear claims that they never said such a thing.

There is another version of the helpful scam that will occur after the accident as well. Various people get paid off to refer victims to doctors, lawyers, or repair shops that will often raise prices to get lots from your insurance company.

Do you now know how to avoid one of these car insurance scams? Defensive driving is your best option. Keep your surroundings in mind and stay alert. Never trust a person who tells you that the way is clear. Make sure there is room between you and the cars that are around you.

If there is an accident, make sure you document everything that happened. If the police are called, make sure you hear everyone’s statement and get a copy of the report. Keep a disposable camera in your glove compartment to take pictures of any accident. Finally, if you have any suspicions about an accident, make sure to tell your insurance company about them; they are experts in detecting and stopping scammers.