IFED arrests four cash for crash suspects

The Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) has arrested four men in Liverpool suspected to be part of a bus cash for crash scam.

Early this morning IFED detectives arrested two Liverpool suspects aged 35 and 20, having detained another two last month. All four men were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud and questioned at a Liverpool police station.

The arrests came after insurers alerted the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) following personal injury claims from a group of up to 30 people that had all been travelling by coach to Belle Vue dog track near Manchester.

En route on the M57 the bus driver was told to pull over by passengers who said the coach had been shunted by a car. The coach driver said he had felt no impact.

There was only superficial damage to both vehicles, but the group decided to cancel their trip, saying they felt unwell and asking to be taken back to the pub where they had been collected.

Before leaving the coach all of the group confirmed to the driver that they had been injured and gave him their personal details.

Head of IFED detective chief inspector Dave Wood said: “Cash for crash is costing industry hundreds of millions of pounds and is responsible for putting a higher price on every driver’s insurance premium and posing a safety risk to road-users.

“The problem seems to be particularly prevalent in the north west and IFED making repeated arrests in the region are evidence of how determined we are to tackle this culture of criminality right across the country.”

IFB director Phil Bird said: “Pre-planned scams like this cost the industry £350m every year and the IFB plays a key role in gathering the evidence against those who try to abuse the system.

“Working alongside IFED and other UK police forces, more and more fraudsters are facing the full force of the law.”