The Insurance Fraud Bureau has found fraudsters perpetrating crash-for-cash scams have spread out from established hotpots such as Birmingham and are increasingly travelling to different locations where drivers are less aware of their tactics.

The IFB said the top ten new towns targeted by criminals in the past year were: Frome,
Worksop, Cirencester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Shrewsbury, Warrington, Ashby, Leicester and Derby.

Ben Fletcher, director at the IFB, said: “Crash-for-cash fraudsters are known to evolve their tactics and the latest evidence shows that they’ve started spreading out from prominent crime hotspots to less suspecting towns and cities in the hope that they can avoid detection.”

James Burge, head of counter fraud at Allianz Commercial, added: “The whiplash reforms have contained some of the costs associated with fraudulent claims, but unfortunately crash-for-cash gangs aren’t fully deterred and still try to scam honest motorists and their insurers. The best way drivers can protect themselves against staged collisions is to keep themselves informed about those dangerous tactics. That is why this work by the IFB is so important and helpful.

He added: “As insurers, we will continue to actively pursue fraudsters so drivers can stay safe on the road.”

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