New videos show common staged accident methods used for insurance fraud

The National Insurance Crime Bureau in the United States, along with the Los Angeles Police Department, has produced several new videos to show the most common methods of staging vehicle accidents used to defraud insurance companies.

“These staged accidents are not only illegal and costly, but they also present a real danger to innocent drivers and to those recruited to participate,” Joe Wehrle, NICB’s president and CEO said in a press release.

“And without knowing what to look for, the innocent victims may not realize they were targeted. These videos help insurers, law enforcement and the driving public spot some of the most common types of staged accidents and may help them put a stop to the scheme before the criminals collect the cash.”

Los Angeles police in particular have reporting seeing an increase in staged accidents on area highways and seeing cases of people deliberately causing an accident in a car, on bikes or on foot.

Staged accidents are also  a major part of insurance fraud in Ontario, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, which says that an estimated $1.6 billion a year is added to insurance premiums and health care, emergency services and court costs from such fraud.

The videos were produced at the LAPD’s Emergency Vehicle Operations Center in Granada Hills, where officers receive specialized driver training.

The videos include:

Curb Drive Down

Four Vehicles Fraud

Swoop and Squat

Left Lane Fraud