Today is the day you will most likely be a victim of crash for cash schemes

Today is the day you are most likely going to be a victim of a crash for cash scheme.

That is according to the Insurance Fraud Bureau, who has named 29 January as ’Crash for Cash Awareness Day’.

The day is aimed at highlighting the issue of the scams, and to ensure motorists take extra care on the roads.

The IFB estimates that crash for cash scams cost £340 million every year, and put the lives of motorists at risk.

The bureau is advising drivers to be wary of deliberate crashes, where a fraudster is looking to make a fake insurance claim.

It advises people to look out for signs such as erratic driving and the slamming brakes for no apparent reason.

Fraudsters may also use a decoy vehicle to make a sudden, unexpected manoeuvre. The other vehicle involved, which will be following behind the decoy, will then slam on the brakes in the hope that the intended victim won’t be able to stop in time. The decoy will then disappear, making it difficult to prove it was ever part of the scam. 

Ben Fletcher, director of the IFB said: “Crash for Cash Awareness Day hopes to highlight the problem and raise awareness amongst the general public about this potentially lethal crime.

”While the hotspots data highlighted the worst affected areas, crash for cash is a nationwide problem. At the IFB, we work hard to detect organised insurance fraud, often leading to custodial sentences for these dangerous fraudsters. It’s important that we continue to do so and by working together with Police and insurers, we can bring these fraudsters to justice.”

The campaign has the backing of the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED),