Number of crash for cash gangs falls by 11% in past two years

Bradford has replaced Blackburn as the top spot for “crash for cash” scams, the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) reports.

The IFB has compiled a list of the top 20 places in the country for the scams. Crash for cash typically involves fraudsters faking accidents to swindle money out of insurers.

The IFB believes the number of crash for cash gangs has reduced by 11% over the past two years thanks to its joint clampdown with the police.

But IFB chairman John Beadle urged authorities to keep up the pressure on the gangs.

Beadle said: “The criminal gangs targeting honest motorists are ruthless. Innocent lives are being put at risk and fraudulent insurance claims add approximately £40 to every premium paid by honest policy holders each year. Left unchecked these criminal networks grow rapidly, split and even franchise smaller networks which in turn grow prolifically.”