Help, I think someone is trying to extort money from me by saying I hit their car

GeorgeDawes_2

Tonight I got home and a letter from a neighbour had arrived. It said

YOU HIT MY CAR EARLIER WHILE REVERSING. I SAW YOU HIT MY CAR EARLIER WITH YOUR FRIEND WHO TRIED TO STOP YOU. I THOUGHT THE DAMAGE WASN'T BIG SO I IGNORED IT. BUT I'VE CHECKED MY CAR NOW AND THE DAMAGE IS BIG! YOU NEVER TOLD ME THAT THE DAMAGE WAS BIG. YOU NEED TO [STRIKE]FIX MY[/STRIKE] TALK TO ME FIRST, BEFORE I REPORT IT TO THE POLICE. CONTACT ME NOW ON MY DOOR NUMBER

Here's the backstory. I'm a new driver, on my first car and just purchased insurance yesterday. The car has been sitting outside my neighbour's window for the past week where it was parked next to his car by the previous owner. I didn't drive it because I had no insurance. But I was sitting in it reading the handbook one day, and I get talking to him. He's selling his flat and he knows my family own several flats in the street. His wife mentions how "rich" we must be.

Anyway, cut to yesterday, I was with my friend and we were taking it for its first spin to the petrol station as I now had insurance. Before we went, this guy was talking to me, asking me about the insurance on the car, how much I paid for the car, etc. Me and my friend opened the bonnet and checked the oil, he came along and had a look too, making remarks, seemingly friendly. I said we were going to the petrol station but would be back shortly, he said he would reserve my parking space, so I shook his hand. Upon my return, when I was doing parallel parking, my friend got out to help me guide the car back. There were NO bumps, grazes, hits or scrapes with ANYTHING and the car was successfully parked with a motorcycle separating our cars!

The first thing I did when I read the letter above was contact the police because I can tell this is an attempt at extortion or insurance fraud. This guy knows I'm a new driver, thinks I'm rich and has seen me attempt a parallel park a couple of times. I anticipate that if I speak to him he will demand payment from me to stop him claiming or going to the police. The police have advised that I record myself talking to him in order to prove extortion. They have also advised that I photograph the two parked vehicles as further evidence. Any further advice for protecting myself against this unneighbourly brute and his attempts at insurance fraud would be much appreciated.

GeorgeDawes_2

Tonight I got home and a letter from a neighbour had arrived. It said

YOU HIT MY CAR EARLIER WHILE REVERSING. I SAW YOU HIT MY CAR EARLIER WITH YOUR FRIEND WHO TRIED TO STOP YOU. I THOUGHT THE DAMAGE WASN'T BIG SO I IGNORED IT. BUT I'VE CHECKED MY CAR NOW AND THE DAMAGE IS BIG! YOU NEVER TOLD ME THAT THE DAMAGE WAS BIG. YOU NEED TO [STRIKE]FIX MY[/STRIKE] TALK TO ME FIRST, BEFORE I REPORT IT TO THE POLICE. CONTACT ME NOW ON MY DOOR NUMBER

Here's the backstory. I'm a new driver, on my first car and just purchased insurance yesterday. The car has been sitting outside my neighbour's window for the past week where it was parked next to his car by the previous owner. I didn't drive it because I had no insurance. But I was sitting in it reading the handbook one day, and I get talking to him. He's selling his flat and he knows my family own several flats in the street. His wife mentions how "rich" we must be.

Anyway, cut to yesterday, I was with my friend and we were taking it for its first spin to the petrol station as I now had insurance. Before we went, this guy was talking to me, asking me about the insurance on the car, how much I paid for the car, etc. Me and my friend opened the bonnet and checked the oil, he came along and had a look too, making remarks, seemingly friendly. I said we were going to the petrol station but would be back shortly, he said he would reserve my parking space, so I shook his hand. Upon my return, when I was doing parallel parking, my friend got out to help me guide the car back. There were NO bumps, grazes, hits or scrapes with ANYTHING and the car was successfully parked with a motorcycle separating our cars!

The first thing I did when I read the letter above was contact the police because I can tell this is an attempt at extortion or insurance fraud. This guy knows I'm a new driver, thinks I'm rich and has seen me attempt a parallel park a couple of times. I anticipate that if I speak to him he will demand payment from me to stop him claiming or going to the police. The police have advised that I record myself talking to him in order to prove extortion. They have also advised that I photograph the two parked vehicles as further evidence. Any further advice for protecting myself against this unneighbourly brute and his attempts at insurance fraud would be much appreciated.

hugoshavez

What's a door number?

Pretty disappointing from the police. I'd expect your call to them to be logged, and there to be a corresponding incident number: I'd make sure you have a note of it. I might also ask them whether they didn't think it was appropriate for an officer to pick up the note from you and have a chat with the neighbour about it. Whatever happened to a quiet word from the local bobby?

After speaking to them again I'd call your insurer and tell them the story. Make sure you can give them the neighbour's reg no and his address, including postcode, as they may be able to tell if he's got form on this kind of thing.

If the police do take the note, make sure you scan it first, or at least take a good clear photo of it.

InsideInsurance

GeorgeDawes wrote: »

Here's the backstory. I'm a new driver, on my first car and just purchased insurance yesterday. The car has been sitting outside my neighbour's window for the past week where it was parked next to his car by the previous owner. I didn't drive it because I had no insurance. But I was sitting in it reading the handbook one day, and I get talking to him. He's selling his flat and he knows my family own several flats in the street. His wife mentions how "rich" we must be.

Anyway, cut to yesterday, I was with my friend and we were taking it for its first spin to the petrol station as I now had insurance. Before we went, this guy was talking to me, asking me about the insurance on the car, how much I paid for the car, etc. Me and my friend opened the bonnet and checked the oil, he came along and had a look too, making remarks, seemingly friendly. I said we were going to the petrol station but would be back shortly, he said he would reserve my parking space, so I shook his hand. Upon my return, when I was doing parallel parking, my friend got out to help me guide the car back. There were NO bumps, grazes, hits or scrapes with ANYTHING and the car was successfully parked with a motorcycle separating our cars!

The first thing I did when I read the letter above was contact the police because I can tell this is an attempt at extortion or insurance fraud. This guy knows I'm a new driver, thinks I'm rich and has seen me attempt a parallel park a couple of times. I anticipate that if I speak to him he will demand payment from me to stop him claiming or going to the police. The police have advised that I record myself talking to him in order to prove extortion. They have also advised that I photograph the two parked vehicles as further evidence. Any further advice for protecting myself against this unneighbourly brute and his attempts at insurance fraud would be much appreciated.

First of all, legal all vehicles must have car insurance unless they have been SORNed. You say the car was parked outside your neighbours for a week but you only bought insurance yesterday.

Secondly, you say this is the first time you've driven the car and the prior owner parked it up for you but then you say your neighbour has seen you trying to parallel park a couple of times?

You will struggle to get the police interested in the matter, they are likely to try and bat it away saying its a civil matter and you should let your insurers deal with it and if they have fraud concerns that they will liaise with the police directly.

Take photos of all round the two vehicles and the location you parked. Pass the matter to your insurers advising that you made no contact with the third party vehicle and if your neighbour contacts you again advise him the matter is with the police and your insurers and that he should talk to them directly

attila_

Can i ask how old you are?

Was the car sitting in the road without insurance and did he understand this whilst you spoke to him before?

I'd be careful with this - if you're 100% confident, say the guy had a dash cam and you're confident it would come out clean..then ignore it...and if he comes back to you tell him to raise it with the police.

You've don

attila_

Can i ask how old you are?

Was the car sitting in the road without insurance and did he understand this whilst you spoke to him before?

I'd be careful with this - if you're 100% confident, say the guy had a dash cam and you're confident it would come out clean..then ignore it...and if he comes back to you tell him to raise it with the police.

You've done nothing so what's to worry about?

InsideInsurance

Cross posting isnt allowed

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5069107

agrinnall

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Cross posting is allowed

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5069107

Is or isn't?

AdrianC

GeorgeDawes wrote: »

The car has been sitting outside my neighbour's window for the past week where it was parked next to his car by the previous owner. I didn't drive it because I had no insurance.

Umm, just for reference, to be on the public road or in any publicly accessible place, the car has to be insured. If it's taxed, it has to be insured.

Quite simply, tell him that you know you didn't - and if he wants to take it further, he should contact his insurer. Take a photo of the undamaged back of your car and the undamaged front of his ASAP. The Police wouldn't be interested, even if it was genuine, so ignore that threat.

Herzlos

First of all, go and take lots of pictures of both cars as well as a video walk round of his. If there's no damage there you can just ignore it and tell him next time you see him that you've no evidence there's no damage, you've got a police reference number and assume that'll be the end of it. If there is damage, it might be a bit harder to do but you can hopefully determine that it wasn't caused by your car (the height is wrong, was on the wrong side, the shape doesn't match, whatever), and get a written statement from your friend that (a) you took every precaution to park properly, and (b) that you didn't make any contact with the car.

If you've got a police crime reference number and a reference from your insurance then you should be fine.

If you really want, you can draft up an official letter (posted with recorded delivery) denying any damage and asking him to take it up with your insurance company.

macman

When I started reading this I was simply going to advise you to pass this to your insurers to deal with this idiot. But, since you had the car on the illegally on the public road without insurance, you'll not have that option.
You fail to mention if you have inspected his car to see if there is actually any 'big damage'?
Where you may come unstuck is if he asks his insurers to take up the claim and they find that your vehicle was uninsured-but I very much doubt if he'll take it that far-sounds like he's just after extorting a quick cash settlement from you. Deny any collision and it's then up to him to prove it.