Police arrested a suspected crash-for-cash fraudster as our investigation into an insurance scam gang gathers pace.
Officers raided the man’s home in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, at 7am yesterday (15 July) where he was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and fraud.
It’s believed the 33-year-old is part of an organised crime group behind dozens of deliberate collisions on West Midlands streets over a five-month period from November 2018 to March 2019.
He’s the fourth man Police have arrested in connection with the investigation.
Men, aged 34 and 45, were detained at Birmingham addresses in March 2019 and the previous month a 30-year-old was arrested in Lichfield; they have been released under investigation while investigators gather evidence.
Several vehicles believed to have been used to commit the offences were also seized.
It’s thought the group may have pocketed up to £100,000 in bogus insurance injury claims by staging collisions with innocent motorists.
Detective Inspector Kerrie Martin from our Economic Crime Unit, said: “Offenders will jam their brakes on at roundabouts in a bid to force the following vehicle to crash into them. They will then claim to have suffered whiplash and make substantial insurance claims.
“Our suspicion is these men have claimed around £100,000 from bogus insurance claims – but we are running a wider operation into an organised crime group, alongside the Insurance Fraud Bureau, that may have made millions from this scam over the last two years.”
The West Midlands has previously been identified as a UK cash-for-crash ‘hot spot’ with Birmingham having 10 of the top 30 postcodes identified by the Insurance Fraud Bureau.
Stephen Dalton, Head of Intelligence and Investigations at the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) said: “Insurance scams like ‘Crash for Cash’ put innocent members of the public at serious risk of harm, just so fraudsters can try to line their pockets by making bogus insurance claims.
“We’re pleased positive progress has been made and we’ll continue to work in partnership with West Midlands Police to disrupt those responsible for orchestrating such reckless schemes.”