Auto insurance fraud is a rising problem in the insurance industry. However, since auto insurance fraud causes the insurance industry to devote increased time, employees and measures to combat the fraud, this translates into increased costs to the insured motorists.
Types of Auto Insurance Fraud
There are various types of auto insurance fraud. Some of the most common types of auto insurance fraud includes the following:
- Sideswipe Accident Fraud- a fraudulent acting driver will make a series of left turns on a highway and when a driver in an adjacent lane drifts into the left lane, the fraudulent acting driver will speed up and hit the victim. Since the victim drifted into the left lane, the victim will be viewed at fault.
- T-Bone Accident Fraud- a fraudulent acting driver will wait at an intersection until there are no witnesses. When a victim enters into the intersection, the fraudulent actor will hit the victim and then blame the victim for the accident.
- Wave Accident Fraud- a fraudulent acting driver will sit and wait for a driver to enter a yield lane. Once the driver enters the yield lane, the perpetrator will wave the victim on, then speed up and hit the victim.
-
Paper Accident Fraud- an accident which is only documented on paper. This may be a request for reimbursement and can involve other entites, such as physicians and attorneys.
In addition to the aforementioned types of insurance fraud, perpetrators of auto insurance fraud have been known to pad the bills submitted for reimbursement, include fictitious passengers and include damage that has not actually occurred in order to obtain increased reimbursement.
Suspicious Activity Which Can Indicate Auto Insurance Fraud
There are certain types of activity which can sometimes signify that auto insurance fraud is at play in a particular case. Some of these include the following:
- padding/exaggeration of the damages/injuries involved in the automobile accident
- sudden increase of automobile insurance immediately preceding the accident
- an individual's significant debt load
- unusual receipts and/or handwritten receipts
- a history of auto insurance losses of the victim
Getting Legal Help
If one has been involved in an auto insurance accident and suspects that one may have been the victim of an auto insurance fraud scheme, one may seek to consult with an experienced attorney as soon as possible in the matter. An experienced attorney can not only review the case in order to determine what legal options one may have in the case, but also, and experienced attorney can help to direct one towards the most appropriate course of action.
