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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 topping the league for the second time this year...
Birmingham has claimed the number one spot in a crash for cash postcode league – and, in fact, accounted for 10 of the top 30 postcodes for the crime.
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, crash for cash costs the UK around £340m every year and 69,500 personal injury claims are linked to suspected crash for cash scams.
Britain’s cash for crash hotspots
The latest figures from the IFB reveal motorists in Birmingham are most likely to suffer one of these driving scams.
Manchester, Bradford and Oldham also feature on the top 10 list.
The top postcode hotspots are:
| Postcode | Area | Rank |
| B8 | Birmingham | 1 |
| B6 | Birmingham | 2 |
| B10 | Birmingham | 3 |
| BD9 | Bradford | 4 |
| BD8 | Bradford | 5 |
| M8 | Manchester | 6 |
| BD3 | Bradford | 7 |
| B25 | Birmingham | 8 |
| OL8 | Oldham | 9 |
| B11 | Birmingham | 10 |
Looking at the top 30 list in full, it’s clear drivers in the Midlands and the north are more likely to be involved in a crash for cash scam than their southern counterparts. Liverpool, Blackburn, Bolton and Wakefield all feature in the top 30, as well as London and Enfield 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.
If you’ve been involved in an incident or need to make a claim you can get in touch with us online or you can call our Claims team on 0333 220 2033 Opening hours: Mon - Fri 8am - 9pm Sat 9am - 5pm Sun 10am - 4pm
You can read more about what to do after an accident in our guide which includes a step-by-step video.