Crash for cash hotspots revealed – do you live in one of the worst areas?

The top 30 postcodes for fraudsters carrying out crash for cash scams have been revealed by the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) – with one city remaining top of the league for the second year in a row…

Birmingham remains in the number one spot in a crash for cash postcode league and, in fact, accounted for seven of the top 30 postcodes for the crime – an overall decrease from 10 Birmingham postcodes in the top 30 in 2020.  

What is crash for cash?

There are three different types of crash for cash scam – all with the end result being the scammer hoping to get money through fraudulent claims:

Staged accidents – two vehicles, both involving criminals, will deliberately crash into each other Induced accidents – scammers deliberately target an innocent driver making them the ‘at fault’ party when making their fraudulent claim

Ghost accidents – no physical crashes involved here – just fake paper-based claims being submitted to insurers.

According to the IFB, a single gang can be behind thousands of orchestrated collisions in an area, with the combined value of their fraudulent claims running into the millions.

Britain’s cash for crash hotspots

The latest figures from the IFB reveal motorists in Birmingham and Bradford are most likely to suffer one of these driving scams. Bradford has seen an increase in crash for cash claims and now equals Birmingham with seven postcodes in the top 30.While Birmingham and Bradford top the league again in 2021 (as they did in 2020), Walsall, Blackburn and Romford appear in this list for the first time.   

The top postcode hotspots are:

Looking at the top 30 list in full, it’s clear that crash for cash was more common in the north and the Midlands in 2020, and is again in 2021, with Halifax, Manchester, Wakefield and Leeds also appearing in the top 30 list.

But this issue is now more prevalent in and around London in 2021, with Romford slipping in at 10th place. Places like High Wycombe, north London, Ilford and Luton also appear in the top 30 hotspots in the south.

I think I’ve been involved in a crash for cash scam – what should I do?

Just like you would if you were involved in a normal accident, take down as much information as you can about the incident itself, the other driver and passengers:

Take photos Do not admit liability Call your insurer and the police as soon as you can to report the accident and your suspicions You can also call the IFB’s Cheatline on 0800 422 0421

The IFB suggests the following could indicate you’ve been involved in a crash for cash:

The driver or their passengers don’t seem bothered by the incident. It seems they are exaggerating their injuries. Their insurance details are already written down.

While this isn’t a comprehensive list of possible signs, it’s a good idea to let your insurance know you think this is the case.

If you’ve been involved in an incident or need to make a claim you can get in touch with us online. You can read more about what to do after an accident in our guide which includes a step-by-step video.