I think the following comments fit okay as part of this thread. They have to do with insurance scams rather than physical confrontations, but they can cause a lot of emotional pain and suffering if you're not careful. I've heard this scam referred to in various terms. I'll call it the "swoop and squat." The setup goes like this:
The bad guys - at least two in an old junker - cruise four lane city streets seeking a victim. Their target is a lone driver - often a woman or an elderly person - operating a newer vehicle. When they find what they're looking for, they have someone with no witnesses to what is about to happen, and a good chance the owner/operator has adequate insurance.
The scammers stay in the left lane and slowly pass the target's car. When traffic allows they pull (swoop)in front of the victim and slow to almost a stop (squat). When their prey's vehicle strikes their back bumper the trap is set. Remember, we're talking about city driving at slow speeds. Damage, if any, will be minimal. Normally, the occupants of both vehicles will tell each other that no one was hurt and exchange information. It will be suggested that it would be foolish to call the police for something so minor. Not only would a police report probably result in the victim's insurance rates being raised, but who knows how long everyone would have to wait for the police to get there? The bad guys suggest they'll get an estimate of the damage to their car - it certainly shouldn't be over $100 or so - and then the victim can settle up and the insurance company will never know the difference. Everybody drives away as friends.
But a few days later the scenario changes a bit. Instead of an estimate for a $100 repair bill, the victim is informed by the other driver's attorney that the property damage was substantial. And guess what else? After the accident, one or more of the occupants in his client's car began experiencing back and neck pain. They are now under the care of a chiropractor.
The victim has no choice but to involve his/her insurance company. But with no witnesses or police report, the insurer is fighting an uphill battle. In many cases they decide it would be cheaper to pay for some treatments, vehicle repairs, and of course something for the excruciating pain the scammers claim to have suffered because of their insured's negligence. Ironically, one of the reasons for not calling the police in the first place happens anyway. The victim's insurance rates go up.
Such scams have been exposed in several places around the country. The conspiracy can involve a number of people, including personal injury attorneys, medical doctors or chiropractors, and body shops.
So, as has been said, be aware. Be alert. If you're alone and involved in an accident in which the circumstances look a bit suspicious, call the police. The wait could very well be worthwhile.
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Denny Griffin, author
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Even if you call the police, they're going to rule it to be your fault, even if God himself told them it wasn't.
So, with no risk of liability, how do you STOP this crime from happening? If you file charges against them for insurance fraud, does that create the opportunity for the accident to be ruled their fault instead of yours?
I was the victim of a “staged auto accident” in North Charleston, SC on December 14,2017. I was exiting a gas station into three lanes of traffic stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of Rivers and Remount Rd. The first vehicle saw that I was trying to enter the street and stopped, The vehicle in the second lane also stopped. The vehicle in the third lane stopped. I was stopped broadside in the third lane waiting for the light to change when the third vehicle drove forward and hit the door behind the driver’s side door on my 2008 Saab Combi Station wagon.
My thought at that moment was that this was either intentional or the driver was distracted in some way and took their foot off the brake. I got out of my car and approached the other car. The drivers side window rolled down and I could see what I thought at the time was a woman talking very aggressively on a cell phone. There were also 3 other passengers in the car. None of them said a word. There were no complaints of injury.
I inspected my car but did not see the damage in the lower door panel. It was 5:30PM, a rainy night. North Charleston is a neighborhood where the crime rate is three times the national average and the homicide rate is greater than Chicago on a per capita basis. I decided not to exchange papers in the middle of this busy intersection and drove down the street approx. 100 yards to an open Auto Parts store with a lighted parking lot. The driver of the other car did not follow me however he took my license plate number and reported the accident as a “head-on collision” and reported that he and his three passengers all sustained bodily injury. Progressive insurance paid him and his three friends over $21,000.
If you are somehow connected to the “Progressive Group” I want to speak with you about getting a “letter of explanation” from Progressive.
I have three times emailed the Claims Inspector Danielle Santos and I have three time emailed the CEO Of Progressive Tricia Griffith…… I have left a complaint with the NCIB and I will continue to complain about these “Staged Accidents” until something is done about them. This is an national epidemic and rather than express any outrage the easy solution is for Progressive to pay the fraudulent claim… then argue that a statewide increase in rates is necessary…but also enter this “accident” as a black mark against my driving record so now my wife and I pay over $700 more per year for auto insurance.
I want a “letter of explanation” submitted to me so that I can give it to AAA and get my rates lowered.
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