‘Crash for cash’ scams are a growing threat for motorists and fleets across South Africa. Because of this, it's incredibly important to know how to protect yourself or your fleet from these scams. There are definitely a few things you can do to ensure you don’t fall victim to a ‘crash for cash’ scam.
So keep reading as the team from Cartack breaks down everything you need to know about these elaborate schemes!
A ‘crash for cash’ scam is part of a syndicate where either a single person or a group of them cause an accident and make it seem as if you’re at fault. They’ll then lay a claim against you and your insurer to pay them out for the accident and injuries caused by the accident.
The main ‘crash for cash’ scams are:
The most common tactic used to trick drivers is pretending that they’re giving you a gap to pass, or come in front of them or pull out of a parking spot. As soon as you start driving, they’ll accelerate and crash into you, claiming that they never gave you the right of way.
The most common targets for these scams are those with high-end/luxury vehicles, as well as delivery and company vehicles. This is because they assume you’ll have a comprehensive and expensive insurer that’ll pay them out.
Although it can be difficult to tell if a crash was a scam, it’s helpful to pay attention to the other driver and occupants. Are they being erratic or exaggerating injuries even though it was a relatively minor accident? Is there a random witness that’s agreeing with the other driver’s side of events, or are they haggling you for cash to “deal with this matter privately”? These are all indicators of a scam.
Telematics can provide driver behaviour insights to prove you were driving well. However, the best way to prevent these scams is to have a dashcam to visually prove your innocence and all false claims by the scammer.
Yes, dashcams are the best form of protection against these scams. This is because it no longer becomes a “your word against mine” situation; there’s hard proof that you weren't in the wrong.
No, they can’t. This is because it’s legal to record any incidents in an open public view on public roads. Also, this footage is being shared with authorities and your insurance company as evidence, so they can't dispute it.
Yes, they do. When it’s a private driver, the scam can be carried out by one person in one vehicle. When it comes to commercial fleets, it needs to be more sophisticated. Multiple vehicles and people need to be involved because they know that fleets usually have dashcams.
No, don’t tell the other driver at the scene that you have a dashcam. This could cause them to become aggressive and try to get your SD card or damage your dashcam. Rather wait for the police to arrive or take the footage and submit it to your insurer.
Cartrack’s dashcams start at R199 per month. If you have a fleet, you’re going to need more than just a simple dashcam and will want our AI camera solutions. To get a tailor-made quote, give us a call!
