Three Car Crash Claim Scams to Avoid

If you've been involved in a car crash or an accident of one kind or another, you'll need to file a car crash claim form with your insurance company. The reason for this is all accidents must be reported to insurance. In some areas, you must also report the accident to the local police and also to your DMV branch office that's closest to you. Unfortunately, there are a number of insurance claim scams that oftentimes come up as you file your claim. Not only is this frustrating to have to deal with at any point in time, but it can be especially aggravating when you're faced with these challenges as you try to fix your car and deal with the other various repercussions of a car accident as well. Read on to learn about how to avoid some of the most common car crash claim scams.

Fictitious Accidents

One of the most common scams that criminals pull when trying to dupe an insurance company into paying them money for compensation is to create a fake accident report. This can be filed against you and you may suffer increased premiums and other detriments like a tarnished driving record as a result. Although it's unlikely that this will happen to you, you should always carry around a camera and a notepad in your vehicle. This can help you to document evidence at the scene of a crime. As soon as you've been informed by your insurance agency of a claim against you that you feel is faulty, take pictures of your car and keep them as evidence. These pictures can show that your vehicle wasn't damaged in the supposed accident and can help to clear your record.

Staged Accidents

Less common than fictitious accidents but still a type of car crash claim scam to look out for, some criminals create situations in which relatively minor accidents occur solely for the purpose of claiming compensation from your insurance company as a result. This may happen when a vehicle pulls out in front of your car abruptly and later has testimony from a corrupt doctor or lawyer to back up a claim that the damage was caused due to your fault. Again, keeping evidence of the crash and the incident can help to clear your name; try to get contact information for any witnesses who may have been in the area and can help to corroborate your story. This will help you to avoid any insurance claim hidden fees

Phony Information

Another problem that many people run into is phony information regarding insurance companies and policies from other drivers involved in accidents. In order to get around this as best you can, make sure to note the driver's name, contact information and the license plate and make, model and year of the vehicle. This will help your insurance company to track the driver down if the need should arise later on.