Phantom Vehicle Stories
It is not difficult to imagine a scenario where an individual is short on cash it needs to make some extra money quick. There are various ways to do this but many unscrupulous people might try to perpetrate a staged accident insurance scam. Unfortunately, many times this involves a story about a phantom vehicle where the owner of the vehicle decides to fake an accident that causes damage to his car.
As an adjuster, this claim may come over your desk and may appear to look just like all of the other claims it came through that day. However, there are some telltale signs that this may be fraud and an insurance scam.
One of the first indicators may be the lack of another vehicle involved. This can be especially so if the person was injured. If your insured driver was injured, what about the driver of the other car? Was this really a hit and run?
One of your first approaches in handling a claim that involves a phantom vehicle will be to obtain a copy of the police report. If your insured has not filed one, you should already be suspicious of the claim. If no report was filed, your next step is to suggest to the insured that they need to file one, and see how they react.
If they show any resistance, this may be an indication that they planning an insurance scam. Many people dont view insurance fraud as a crime, and getting the police involved may make them apprehensive about actually going through with their plans.
Your next approach will be to determine if the driver is claiming any injuries. You may find that the damage does not correspond with the severity of injuries claimed by the individual involved in the accident.
Use A Reconstructionist to Nail an Insurance Scam
As an adjuster, one of your jobs is to investigate the cause of a loss and determine whether the claim is legitimate. For auto accidents that appear suspicious, an accident Reconstructionist is often the best choice to determine whether the accident is took place as the insured originally told you or the police.
Statements from the involved parties directly after the accident occurred is another way to pin that individual down as to what he is claiming. People who are in the habit of lying often confuse the facts. It is much easier to remember the facts when youre telling the truth. An Accident Reconstructionist along with detailed witness statements and an inspection of the scene along with inspection of the damage to the vehicle should reveal any inconsistencies.
An accident reconstruction expert can assess how an accident occurred based on the physical evidence alone. They will be able to inspect the damage to the vehicle along with the condition of the roadway involved as well as anys inanimate objects that may have been struck pre-or post-collision.
They will also be able to tell whether the impact was caused by another vehicle or by an inanimate object. Paint transfer almost always occurs when a collision takes place between two vehicles. If your insured claims that he was hit by a red vehicle while he was driving a black car then there had better be red paint transferred to the damaged areas of his car.
Approach auto claims involving a phantom vehicle with caution. Be sure to document your file and be sure to take a statement from your insured driver immediately. As the physical evidence fails to bear out the insureds initial story you will be able to refer back to the original statement to identify inconsistencies and establish that the claim may be a fraudulent insurance scam.
If you come across a case like this be sure to notify your companys SIU department immediately, and make sure you document your file as thoroughly as possible throughout the claims process with notes and with any correspondence provided by your policyholder.
As an adjuster, this claim may come over your desk and may appear to look just like all of the other claims it came through that day. However, there are some telltale signs that this may be fraud and an insurance scam.
One of the first indicators may be the lack of another vehicle involved. This can be especially so if the person was injured. If your insured driver was injured, what about the driver of the other car? Was this really a hit and run?
One of your first approaches in handling a claim that involves a phantom vehicle will be to obtain a copy of the police report. If your insured has not filed one, you should already be suspicious of the claim. If no report was filed, your next step is to suggest to the insured that they need to file one, and see how they react.
If they show any resistance, this may be an indication that they planning an insurance scam. Many people dont view insurance fraud as a crime, and getting the police involved may make them apprehensive about actually going through with their plans.
Your next approach will be to determine if the driver is claiming any injuries. You may find that the damage does not correspond with the severity of injuries claimed by the individual involved in the accident.
Use A Reconstructionist to Nail an Insurance Scam
As an adjuster, one of your jobs is to investigate the cause of a loss and determine whether the claim is legitimate. For auto accidents that appear suspicious, an accident Reconstructionist is often the best choice to determine whether the accident is took place as the insured originally told you or the police.
Statements from the involved parties directly after the accident occurred is another way to pin that individual down as to what he is claiming. People who are in the habit of lying often confuse the facts. It is much easier to remember the facts when youre telling the truth. An Accident Reconstructionist along with detailed witness statements and an inspection of the scene along with inspection of the damage to the vehicle should reveal any inconsistencies.
An accident reconstruction expert can assess how an accident occurred based on the physical evidence alone. They will be able to inspect the damage to the vehicle along with the condition of the roadway involved as well as anys inanimate objects that may have been struck pre-or post-collision.
They will also be able to tell whether the impact was caused by another vehicle or by an inanimate object. Paint transfer almost always occurs when a collision takes place between two vehicles. If your insured claims that he was hit by a red vehicle while he was driving a black car then there had better be red paint transferred to the damaged areas of his car.
Approach auto claims involving a phantom vehicle with caution. Be sure to document your file and be sure to take a statement from your insured driver immediately. As the physical evidence fails to bear out the insureds initial story you will be able to refer back to the original statement to identify inconsistencies and establish that the claim may be a fraudulent insurance scam.
If you come across a case like this be sure to notify your companys SIU department immediately, and make sure you document your file as thoroughly as possible throughout the claims process with notes and with any correspondence provided by your policyholder.
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