In staged vehicle collisions, rings of con artists team up with dishonest doctors, lawyers and repair shop operators to create automobile accidents involving unsuspecting motorists. Bogus witnesses are positioned near the collision to support the criminal's account and contradict the innocent driver's testimony. The accident results in lawsuits and phony medical insurance claims.

Favorite targets for staged collisions are fully insured drivers not accompanied by passengers who could serve as witnesses. Luxury cars are often targeted because they offer the promise of extensive insurance coverage.

The Schemes

• Swoop and Squat - An unsuspecting driver follows two vehicles driven by a pair of perpetrators. The first vehicle, the swoop vehicle, suddenly cuts in front, stops or slows down in front of the second squat vehicle, forcing it to abruptly stop to avoid a collision. The innocent driver in the third vehicle has little or no time to react and a collision between the squat car and the innocent motorist occurs. The rear end leaves the unexpecting motorist at fault.
  
  
• Drive Down - This scheme takes place when an unsuspecting driver tries to merge into traffic. The perpetrator yields and waves the innocent driver to proceed with the merge. As the innocent driver merges, the suspect driver intentionally smashes into the victim and denies waving to the innocent driver.
  
  
• Side Swipe - With a side swipe, perpetrators target innocent drivers in a dual left turn lane of a busy intersection. If an unsuspecting victim in the inner lane drifts into the outer lane, the perpetrators intentionally cause a collision.
  
  

See Also:
Vehicle Theft Fraud
Other Vehicle Claims Fraud
Bodily Injury Insurance Fraud
Collision Repair Fraud