Insurance claim - fraudulent?

mcc28_x

Hi,

Any advice or shared similar experiences would be welcome as this has never happened to me before!

About a month ago I had a car accident and went into the back of a private taxi cab. It was relatively low speed, whilst I did not admit responsibility I am aware it will technically be my fault.

The cost of repair to my car was £700.

In the taxicab were 2 asian gentleman, the driver and his passenger. The passenger gave me the name & address of the driver (though at the time I thought this was the passenger), the driver, reckoned to speak very little english and almost drove off without his passenger without even asking for my details - though I had given them to the passenger.

A few days later I received a claim for whiplash and other sundry costs from a no win no fee solicitors on behalf of the driver of the taxi. The following day I received another letter from the same solicitors claiming whiplash for the passenger.

I sent both letters to my insurers who advised they would deal with the issue.

Last week my insurers rang me up to say they had letters from 3 claimants, the driver and two passengers. They asked me to confirm how many people were in the car. They asked me the approximate ages of the two people, the driver was imo 45-55 the passenger max 25 but more like 19/20. The DOB of the 3 claimants made them in there 30's.

It has been suggested to me that the actual driver may not even have been the person named in the claim as the driver, though I cannot prove this myself.

My insurers are going back to the solicitors to ask some more questions, however, so far as I am concerned this claim is fraudulent.

Has anyone come across anything similar to this, or have any advice?

I get the impression that my insurers will have to make some sort of payment, though apart from damage to the taxi, I am bemused by the compensation claims.

No wonder insurance premiums are so high if this is what goes on...

dunstonh

Make the insurer aware of your concerns and outline to them, very much like you have above, what happened. Make it clear that there were only 2 in the car and that the driver didnt want to exchange details and it was the passenger that gave you the drivers details (how would a passenger in a taxi know the drivers details?)

I wouldnt be surprised if the insurers already suspect fraud.

---lee---

Out of interest, what where the circumstances when you drove into the back of his car?

You hear stories on the news etc of people swerving in front of you (and similar) to deliberately create this sort of accident so that they can claim all sorts of non-existent injuries. Sometimes even working in teams of more than one car.

Also, where there any witnesses who were not involved in the accident? Even nearby shop staff etc, may have seen what happened and are likely to recall how many people were in the car.

It seems very strange and suspicious to me that the passenger should know all the drivers details – unless he was acting as translator?

BenL

You don't live in Bradford/Keighley do you??

I'm always getting told stories from people driving around the area trying to get you to crash into them so they can make claims.

Ben

monkeylugs

Do you know, I was just wondering if you were a Bradford man.

I've definitely heard of this happening before...even to the extent where you get friends "suing" each other via insurance companies.

mcc28_x

The circumstances:

Driving along A650 near Wrenthorpe between Leeds & Wakefield.

I had just gone around one roundabout and noticed the taxi in the outside lane of the dual carriageway. It was going too slowly and a car behind was trying to get past. He pulled in in front of me.

Passed next roundabout okay (Junction 41 for Morrisons Warehouse etc.)

On the next strip we were approaching what is a quiet roundabout onto a business park. I looked, it was clear, I looked back at the road and he had stopped at the roundabout. I couldn't stop quick enough...

No witnesses no shops etc.

We pulled over 50 yards passed the roundabout. I walked back to collect my licence plate. When I returned the passenger had a piece of paper with name & address -which at the time I thought was his.

I wrote down my details and gave them to the passenger. The passenger said the driver was talking to his controller. After a few minutes he got out opened the boot to show me the damage in the boot compartment, there did not appear to be much damage to the outside of the 10year old cab.

I was about to give him my details, he waived his arms at me and pointed between myself and the passenger, walked round to the drivers door and got in. He'd almost set-off as the passenger scrambled in the back of the taxi.

At the time I was totally bemused and of course naive...

Friends have suggested that he may not have been the licenced driver of the vehicle. Obviously I have the cab licence and hackney no.

The address of the person claiming to be the driver is in Dewsbury.

I'm just really annoyed about the claims because I'm certain it is a scam. Fair enough the taxi sustained some damage, the rest seems like nonsense -as for 3 people in the car that's a joke.

I just hope that my insurers can get to the bottom of it.

---lee---

It sounds very suspicious to me.

I can’t think of any advice, other than to note down as much as you can remember about the incident and the people involved as it may take a while to sort out.

I do hope things work out for you.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck it's usually a duck! This sounds like an old West London scam.
And the moral of this story is..........if you haven't got a camera phone keep a disposable in the car and photograph all damage and driver and passenger(s) when you have an accident.
Good luck with sorting things out, I guess you will fully share your view and judgement of the accident with your insurer.

BWZN93

Bumped - interested in how this turned out!

Jo xx