[Closed] Been accused of a car crash in Feb this year?

Innocent until proven guilty? I'd tell them to jog on unless they have any evidence...

Some one or more than one person at work to say you were at work. The more people the better.

What about debit/credit card bills? Often gives the location of shops.

I left the company in West Bromwich in March and the site has since shut down.

What details do they actually have? Have they confirmed the reg given matches the make, model and colour? As above though, a statement from anyone who saw you or something like proof you paid for something not in Glasgow (obviously not mail order) should help

out of interest.....what street?

I’ve just been contacted by my insurer

First thing - are you sure? Call your insurer back, using their publicly-available number, and see if they know anything about it.

I'm with dashed, not your problem (yet). Ask your insurer what proof the other party has presented to bring about a claim.

Location services on your mobile? Assuming you have that switched on.

Is the complainant a wheelie bin?

Do you have a built in Sat Nav? If that programme on C4 is anything to go by they can store destinations/dates.

Also any location data on your mobile.

But mainly, I'm with dashed. Tell them they are mistaken. After all, why would anyone make up going to West Brom?

(and I say that as an Albion season ticket holder)

Have your plates been cloned?

But anything from former colleagues, bank/credit card statements etc to show you were anywhere other than Glasgow that day/week? Anything on social media? Is there a post on here about somewhere to ride near West Bromwich?

I have had this twice.
Both only came to light when I had a massive renewal quote on the insurance.

Both times, it was a case of a wrong digit on the claim made by the other party.
Quite how a Toffee Brown T5 kombi can be mistaken for a black Fiesta is beyond me.
( I asked my insurers to confirm what vehicle had hit them)

The second time it happened , I was not given any reason when I asked.
I did however have to pay an increased premium until the matter was resolved ( after all there was a claim against me and I had to declare it even though it was bollox).
Got the additional back minus admin fee ( which I also got back when I threatened to take them to the insurance ombudsman)

I'm with IHN smells scammy to me

Firstly was it definitely your insurance company? Not an attempted fraud.
Have you phoned back your insurance company from a number you know is definitely them?

Secondly if its not a scam and someone is genuinely alleging you hit them then i would show them bank statements around the time of the accident.

If you bought something from the local shop then it will show you weren't in Glasgow.
For example i spent a tenner in tesco yesterday on my bank statement it tells you it was Tesco Store 2164, which when googled gives you Tesco Extra in Bournemouth.

Whilst not completely foolproof it all helps especially if you combine with other evidence like witnesses suggested above.

**Edit beaten to it above**

First thing – are you sure? Call your insurer back, using their publicly-available number.

This, somewhat suspicious that the accident was months ago in a location you were nowhere near.

Is the complainant a wheelie bin?

Sounds like he's wheelie bin had!

I supposedly had a crash in a red Renault estate in Yorkshire, while living in the Highlands and owning a blue VW people carrier....It was mistaken number plate reported to insurers.

Are you sure it's your insurer +1

How do I do that then?

Google timeline.

The only time I've had one of these calls and it was legit, I'd apparently had a crash the day before. I just took a picture of my car with the days' paper and emailed it off.

Never heard anything again.

I reckon though that they had a digit wrong, as there were 5 blue BMW's, including mine, with consecutive number plates.

Cheers all, to answer a few questions:

Ive logged into my insurance account and the claim is logged on there.

Ive also contacted my insurers via the number on the website and they confirmed. Apparently they have been given my reg and make and model but no colour.

The street is Hawthorn street in Springborn Glasgow. I supposedly pulled out of a side street into another car.

Bank statement/ credit card no joy. no purchases on that date.

Front door cam doesn't go that far back either.

Bloke from my insurance was really bloody rude and basically insinuated I need to prove that I wasnt there not the other way round.

It may not have been the insurers themselves, it could be an investigation company employed by the insurers - my wife does the job of contacting/visiting people to chase up spurious claims identified by insurers. Sometimes she investigates the people who have made the spurious claim, sometimes the people who have been claimed against.

Quite common to be a cloned plate on a similar car at other end of country (as far as scams go)

At the time of the incident I was working in West Bromwich some 285 miles and 5 hours away.

Access controlled building by any chance? If so, access log will have you covered

Any activities logged on Strava, Garmin etc?

@sc-xc

...Albion season ticket holder

Hope you're not putting the kids through that?

can you ask them why its taken the best part of a year to contact you? Or why the claimant has taken so long to come forward?

Who are you insurers out of interest?

I had this years ago, although it was for unpaid parking in London. Fortunately for me, my Ma worked for a solicitor at the time so she just got the boss to write an official looking letter on headed paper stating they were mistaken and I never heard from them again.

Could you do an FOI request for ANPR records or something along those lines? There must be data out there somewhere that proves your car was where it actually was!

Any witnesses on record?  Anyone could just pick a random car / number plate and claim an accident.  I'm sure it wouldn't get to it, but also surely any competent repair shop could validate whether your car has had repairs in line with the supposed damage caused as I am sure new panels would be involved.

Bloke from my insurance was really bloody rude and basically insinuated I need to prove that I wasnt there not the other way round.

I'd be asking to speak to his manager, you're their customer and I'd be stating that I'd be taking my business elsewhere next renewal and be providing this call date and time as the reason.

At the time I working in West Bromwich for a company that I left in March and has since shut down so no joy there either.

Thinking about it If I had hit a car then surely the front of my car would have signs of being repaired. It still has the original supplying dealer number plate on and Ive managed to photo the dates on the headlights too.

Bank statement/ credit card no joy. no purchases on that date.

Did you take any photos on/around that date on your phone? They'll be stored in the cloud with date and location info.

Google Maps should have a timeline of your location if you have that switched on?

Anything on Strava? If you were riding anywhere on that day, it'll prove you weren't in Glasgow.

Check credit and bank statements again if there's anything that can be used - if you bought something the day before and/or the day after, it might not be definitive proof that you weren't in Glasgow but it makes it quite unlikely if your spending pattern is all in shops local to you and nothing anyywhere in Scotland - no fuel purchases would be the obvious one! I know it's not foolproof (you could have paid cash) but it'll all help.

renton
Free Member

At the time I working in West Bromwich for a company that I left in March and has since shut down so no joy there either

Ah sorry, mis-read earlier and thought you meant that they just closed the building (COVID style)

Hope you’re not putting the kids through that?

Just the younger one. I'm too scared of the older one to make him do anything!

Hawthorne street?

Have you secretly been moonlighting as a speedway star?

@sc-xc 😁

perchypanther
Free Member
Is the complainant a wheelie bin?

Posted 46 minutes ago

And Perchy is back in the room!

Your insurance guy is wrong, it's not on you to disprove the claim it just makes their life easier. I'd not bother supplying any proof of where I was unless they could first show the claimants proof that an accident happened. Surely they can't make a claim without any evidence at all that you or your car were involved?

Is there not something with car insurance that you give them permission to act on your behalf when you take out the policy. IIRC they can accept responsibility for accidents that you wouldn't. I'd be telling them clearly that it wasn't you and if you could provide evidence I would. If you can't, I'd be asking for photos of the accident and how your details were provided.

Agree you should check it's really coming from the insurance company - but I have had a few weird ones

A few years ago I was away for work - out drinking too much with a mate - and got a call from my wife saying the polis were at the door, asking if I had been driving my beamer through Manchester city centre at 60+ mph. I hadn't - but someone had cloned the plates.

Same car got a parking ticket when in possession of a car dealer who was selling it for me - with no evidence whatsoever it was actually parked illegally. The car dealer, who I trust, swore blind that he hadn't parked it where it was alleged, but the authorities ruled it had to be paid, despite the fact it was purely a traffic warden's word against his, and he had to pay up!

Also, I got rammed into from behind on Edinburgh city bypass (slowing for Sherifhall for those that know it) by some dozy ****t in an Audi, he avoided the person behind me, bounced off central reservation and hit me rear offside. Police attended, think they charged the guy and insurance all got sorted as many witnesses saw what hapenned. However a few months later I got contacted by Crown Properties asserting I was responsible for damage to the central reservation, it got sorted after a few letters but I was well hacked off at that one!

So weird things like this do happen!

Innocent until proven guilty? I’d tell them to jog on unless they have any evidence…

its a civil claim not a criminal allegation so innocence is irrelevant and it will be judged on the balance of probabilities. Ultimately I think your insurer can decide to settle even if you insist you were not there.

I would expect that IF you were involved the claimant would be able to provide:

1. A description of your vehicle [most typos are likely to fail this test]
2. A description of the driver - and anyone else who was in the car
3. If you stopped at the scene the details you provided (i.e. your name / address / etc)*
4. A description of damage caused to your vehicle

*IF they are alleging you didn't stop at the scene then it may be worth noting that Police Scotland are remarkably thorough at following up on Fail to Stop / Fail to Report claims.

As a bare minimum they would be able to tell the insurer about your skin colour, (outward appearance of) gender, hair colour and length, facial hair and or glasses. Even within a car its usually obvious if someone is small/tall and thin/fat. Your insurer will not know any of that so will not be able to leak it back to them so I would certainly ask them to confirm this. If they spoke to you they'll also be able to comment on accent, what you were wearing etc.

You should give a witness statement about where you were at the time. I'd expect you could provide even circumstantial corroboration that you were not likely to be in Glasgow. e.g. contract of employment elsewhere, proof where you were day before and day after if not that day, but it would be a far more convincing story with something to back you up - a statement from a colleague (manager even better), a friend you might have met the same day, or even a family member. Bear in mind that there was a lockdown on and so it could even have been illegal for your to travel to Scotland without a good excuse. As soon as the insurer starts to think (a) you are not covering something up and (b) you are not just mistaken then they should be thinking "we can avoid paying this claim" which usually makes them happy!

Should it go to court, your bank statements probably also provide some evidence by their silence - work out when and where you filled the car with fuel, does that correlate with a 500+ mile round trip? The fact you didn't buy food or accommodation also supports your claim not to have been on the road. I think such an analysis (which probably also involves analysing the statements of anyone else who would have access to the car) would be excessive as an initial response but one you are either mistaken or committing fraud - so if it gets that far I'd be keen to assert that it wasn't me!

Shouldn't you tell your insurer that you believe the claim is fraudulent - and then they'll hand it over to their fraud dept to take a closer look at who is making the claim. We had an odd one a few years ago, told them we suspected it was a fraudulent claim and the claimant got the grief and the claim went away.

Further to my statement about myself being mistaken for being involved in the accident.

I had a supermarket receipt in my wallet for that day, 300+ miles north and within the same hour of the accident.

I could also prove I drove (and they insured) a blue VW Touran, not a red Renault Laguna.

The insurance company were reluctant, but after a week did ask for description of car and driver, plus any photos from the scene. None were forthcoming other than the driver was elderly and forrin*

This was enough for the insurers to work out it really was not me and the other party could jog on.

.

.

the other persons description, not mine.

First thing – are you sure? Call your insurer back, using their publicly-available number, and see if they know anything about it.

How does that scam work? if I call you up claiming to be your insurer with details of an accident your weren't involved in - most people will argue the toss, but even if they say - well we might have had a minor bump I didn't notice (a car park bump much more likely that a junction) - so go ahead and settle it - how does a "not actually your insurer" get money from anyone?

The time this happened to me I just told my insurers that I lived at the other end of the country and had never been to the place in question and they sorted it out. Seems your insurers are being a bit off.

Anyone could just pick a random car / number plate and claim an accident.

Yep , and the claims handler in my case agreed with me when I said exactly that to him.
There must be some sort of claims limit before any due diligence is used , as they had already paid out the second time it happened to me.

How does that scam work? if I call you up claiming to be your insurer with details of an accident your weren’t involved in – most people will argue the toss, but even if they say – well we might have had a minor bump I didn’t notice (a car park bump much more likely that a junction) – so go ahead and settle it – how does a “not actually your insurer” get money from anyone?

Because some people will panic and start sending personal details and documents to them to prove they were somewhere else, the scammer then uses the bank statements receipts names addresses etc to commit fraud.

If you've been vaccinated, then there should be full GPS positioning on your whereabouts since the second jab, including audio. Not sure how you retrieve it though.

PS: Good luck, I hope you sort it! Nightmare!

I wouldn't ignore the insurance company, as they will be forced to accept liability if you do not engage. I'd simply write or email them stating that you were not in Glasgow on the given date and nor was your vehicle.

As others have said, 10 months to make a claim is sketchy. Assuming it is a fraudulent claim I wonder how the claimant worked out who your car, or at least it's registration number, was insured with.

Odd.

They will have given it to their insurers who would then liaise with the op’s insurers.

I’d definitely be on to customer services and potentially the ombudsman with the concerns that this is a fraudulent claim and ask how they or you could raise this with police Scotland, as if they move this from civil to criminal it’ll favour you more!

I wouldn't get too upset - honestly, it happens all the time.

Well, occasionally. And for every 10 times it happens, less than one out of ten is suspicious suchg as cloned plates - its usually misidentification. -

I did get a rash claims involving cloned plates a couple of years ago, and was lucky that I had 2 claims, one for a collisons on the on a Chichester bypass during lockdown, where the insured lived in Paisley and handn't left Scotland in several years, and one on the A13, that was captured by Traffic Cameras, the vehicle hitting several others whilst fleeing from Police. Both easily disproven, as the insureds were simply asked by me to go outside whilst on the phone, ask them to take photos of their undamaged vehicles, and send them in by email while I had them on the phone.

Burden of proof is on the claimant, not the defendant. An undamaged vehicle is good proof!

If a third party has a photo of the offending vehicle, you can usually tell a cloned vehicle by details - dealer stickers in windows, alloys fitted, (and omn one I had, the number of doors!- being both otherwise white Renaults) that sort of thing. In my exciting A13 collision, our insureds vehicle was actually in a garage having tyres fitted and couldnt have physically been in the area at the time of the collision, without use of a time machine.

Usually, some idiots just written down the number wrong. - especially if its a year after the accident. I bet the claim against you has come from a solicitor making an injury claim, not from another insurer, who would have been chasing you from the off.

All you need to do is take the other vehicle reg, run it through the MID, find out where it was insured at the time, and ring the third party insurer. Ask them to confirm the details you hold, (they wont give you much info - GDPR rules ect) and you'll find the discrepancy straight away. They'll tell you theyve been dealing with Mr X drtiving vehicle y, insured with Insurer X for a year. Then ring the solicitors chasing you, who were instructed a year late, and tell them have got all the details wrong. Make sure you're rude and belittle them for their lack of intelligence, professionalism, and hint that any genuine solicitor would ahve been mroe timely and accurate.

Given the type of solicitors who typically make a claim a year late, they've "bought" the claim, from some Accident Management Company, who have scavenged some "data" from somewhere off the net, from a repairer, recovery company, Police, from a hack/leak or dodgy insurance employee - to learn belatedly of a collision.

The solicitors probably from Bolton, Blackburn or some hole in the ground in Lancashire/Manchester suburbs.

I'd say this is someone trying it on. Of all the things you're likely to remember in a crash, the colour of the car is the one that stands out for me.

Similar thing happened to me a few years ago. On renewal, insurance company said there was someone making a claim. They said I'd moved lanes causing them to swerve and crash, on a road I rarely use (A1M). While it was physically possible, as it's not far from me, I knew I wasn't there. So I firmly denied any involvement.

Never heard about it again.

As mentioned earlier, check your Google location history, if you have a Google account - use the "snap to road" feature to get rid of any straight lines

Years back got a letter from the police saying our car had been reported as being in an accident in a pub car park many miles away from here.

Expected one hell of a time convincing the police it wasnt our car but a quick call and all cleared up.

"Happens all the time", plate cloning/ incorrect number plate given etc etc being the usual reasons I was told.

Good luck op, I reckon it'll be sorted out fine after a bit of chasing.

Bloke from my insurance was really bloody rude and basically insinuated I need to prove that I wasnt there not the other way round.

Surely the insurance company who insures your car works for you and the other party has to prove it was you? You pay them for a service, deny it was you and get the other insurer to prove it was unfact you.

I had a similar incident many years ago.. Erm, 35 years ago actually. The Police got involved they took a look around my car and could tell instantly that it hadn't been involved in an accident. Case closed. Apparently collisions leave damage to both cars that even the best repairs cannot totally mask.

Just checked my Google timeline, it's scary what data it keeps about your movements, but would be invaluable if this cropped up.

Not sure what to think about it now!

Another vote for google maps timeline !

Sometimes it's just incompetence. I was on the other end of a misdirected claim. My son was 17, passed his test a month previously and hadn't really understood that you need to look where you're going, resulting in a minor low speed bump, no injuries just bent wings and bonnets. He did all the right things, stopped, exchanged his details, and mine as the owner and policy holder. We heard nothing for three months, then I had a phone call from the other party's insurer asking when I was going to reply to their letters. What letters, I said, and he replied, never mind, now we've found you can we sort out the claim? It turned out they hadn't bothered to use the address given to them, but had found somebody with the same name as me, on the other side of town, and had been hassling him for 3 months, despite his denials that his son couldn't have been in an accident as he didn't have a son.

Is there anyone you worked with that day who can corroborate your story?

singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/been-accused-of-a-car-crash-in-feb-this-year/page/2/#post-12162343

He doesn't need to.

If his car isn't damaged, it can't have happened. You can't ever repair a car so well that it will stand up to a forensic examination. Paint thicknesses, colours, plastic degredation under uv, part numbers, all manner of give aways. He doesnt need to prove he wasnt in the collisoin, the other side have to prove he did. His vehicle tells the story.

This is a mistaken id, from a lazy and probably dishonest ambulance chaser/solicitor who have had to "scam" some details of a "potential" accident, as they won't dare go near the claimants actual insurers, who hold the correct details.

The correct insurers would have referred the genuine claimant to a legitimate firm of solicitors if they'd reported injuries at the time. I can actually hazzard a guess which of a dozen firms of legal clowns are bothering the poster.

Who is offering to pay for a forensic examination of the car... The claim is a bump, not a hit and run fatality. Dated car parts that the OP had already photographed are good evidence (although not conclusive if you'd got them from a similar aged car.

How does that scam work? if I call you up claiming to be your insurer with details of an accident your weren’t involved in – most people will argue the toss, but even if they say – well we might have had a minor bump I didn’t notice (a car park bump much more likely that a junction) – so go ahead and settle it – how does a “not actually your insurer” get money from anyone?

We had one... Cold called months after a real non fault minor bump to inform us the other party had made a successful injury claim and that my wife must have had similar injuries and could claim. Had all the details when questioned so they must have bought the data either legit or dodgy. My wife is as honest as they come but even she found herself considering it briefly...it's a powerful thing to hear someone else has fraudulently benefited (we are sure they didn't claim as our renewal was prolonged until it was confirmed the claim was settled by the other insurer as non fault non injury)

Bloke from my insurance was really bloody rude

I had this - phone back, speak to someone else, you might even get someone helpful. Then put in a complaint about the other ****.

A bit like when I got a bus lane camera fine from Tottenham whilst the car was in Sheffield a few years back maybe. Wrote a letter back saying nope not us have another look at the photo. Never heard another thing.
If you tell them you weren’t there surely they then have to review the “evidence” that you were. This is their job and not your problem. I’d put it in writing though I think.

Thanks for all the replies so far.

Just to update... Ive been onto my insurance this morning after sending in lots of photos of my car to show the condition and also show its never been crashed.

I also catagorically denied being in any sort of accident and suggested the claim may be fraudulent.

The claimants people have laready phoned or emailed my insurance this morning trying to rush me into admitting liability.

My insurance have told them I dont accept liability and that they need to show evidence of my car being in the crash and witness statements etc.

Fingers crossed.

A mad old world.

Got luck op, hopefully the obvious fact you weren't even anywhere near where the crash happened will dawn on someone at some point.

My insurance have told them I dont accept liability and that they need to show evidence of my car being in the crash and witness statements etc.

That's key really, good to hear they now seem to be acting on your behalf. Going to assume you dont have a Glasgow accent either, which could even end up helping

There's legal precedence here.

Seriously though, why is your insurer even entertaining this as a claim when they've provided no evidence whatsoever aside from a car description from ten months ago that they could readily obtain from the Internet? A couple of weeks would be pushing things and some insurers ask for within 24 hours (which I think is a legal requirement if there's an injury?).

Tell them to prove it or sod off, it shouldn't be hard as I think Poly said for your insurer to request basic details like "was it a man or a woman driving?" or "what colour was the car?" in order to corroborate the story. Not that they'll likely care but as a victim of fraud I might be tempted to get the police involved.

Also, I'd be interested to know who your insurer is so that I never use them myself.

Well this is just getting weirder by the minute !!!

Just had an email from my insurer saying there has been a change to my policy and to log in to see the changes.

On logging in there is a letter saying due to the recent changes to my policy there is an increase of premium of £86. On looking at my policy they have already added this incident as an at fault claim !!!

How can they do that ????

Dodgy as a nine Bob note. Name and shame please. Got to be 9ne for the insurance ombudsman

Hastings direct

Yes complaint to Hastings Direct then if that fails (you have to try complaint first) Financial Services Ombudsman.

On looking at my policy they have already added this incident as an at fault claim !!!

The same happened to to revs1972, see about the 12th post on page 1. They refunded it when the found out it was their mistake.

They're just following their process, try not to let it stress you. Send them an email back repeating that you deny any involvement in the crash as you weren't there, and that you expect a refund of the extra premium once they have confirm that it's a case of mistaken identity.

On logging in there is a letter saying due to the recent changes to my policy there is an increase of premium of £86. On looking at my policy they have already added this incident as an at fault claim !!!

How can they do that ????

Because they're an insurance company and even the slightest hint of a claim of any description is enough for "the system" to raise all sorts of reasons to charge you more money.

Get back to Hastings again stating that you're the victim of an insurance scam, were not involved in any alleged incident, nothing has changed on your policy and start the ball rolling on their internal complaints procedure.

On logging in there is a letter saying due to the recent changes to my policy there is an increase of premium of £86. On looking at my policy they have already added this incident as an at fault claim !!!

How can they do that ????

Many years ago (20?) we had Churchill put a claim against us - Sat in stationary traffic, a driver in the bus & tram lane next to us decided to reverse out before the camera saw him, and reversed into our car. The other driver gave correct details, including insurer and home address. Churchill tried to put it as our claim(!) then knock for knock as they couldn't 'get hold of the driver or insurer' - yet the driver (who lived down the road from us) had letters from both Churchill and his insurer.

We ended up issuing a notice to go to court to Churchill - who wrote back immediately and offered full refund of our years premium, refund of all costs, and £100 M&S voucher if we didn't take them to ombudsman and court...

Get things in writing from now on - line the evidence up - you may need to take this all the way.

Hastings direct

Colour me ****ing shocked.

They have form for this sort of nonsense, there's a reason they are cheap.

https://www.google.com/search?q=hastings+direct+problems+site:forums.moneysavingexpert.com&safe=active&rlz=1C1GCEB_enGB868GB868&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwivt_mt7Pf0AhUIY8AKHXAiCcYQrQIoBHoECAkQBQ&biw=1280&bih=921&dpr=1

The claimants people have already phoned or emailed my insurance this morning trying to rush me into admitting liability.

10 months for a claim to come through and now desperate for you to admit liability, surely this is ringing 'fraudulent claims for beginners' alarms at your insurer!

It's a no claims bonus, not an I was innocent bonus. It's a claim that counts against you until they've closed it.

Insurance has worked this way since at least 1987 when I was a lowly claims administrator.

10 months for a claim to come through and now desperate for you to admit liability, surely this is ringing ‘fraudulent claims for beginners’ alarms at your insurer!

I once received a claim for a seriously injured pedestrian that our policyholder had not reported. A bit of digging turned up a record of a direct Autoglass invoice for a replacement windscreen that had been done for the same date.

Guess what had broken the windscreen? 🙄

Assume nothing was always a good starting point.....

Who is your insurance co? Name and shame the idiots.

Should have been shut down on the first call, obv scam from a mile off. Why do you have to waste time. Sure rich time poor folk have someone on hand to fire off counter claim at £x / hr for wasting their time when this kind of thing happens.

I phoned up HASTINGS DIRECT Customer service to find out what was going on. The lady sounded as shocked as me and promised to look into it and phone me back within the hour. That was at half two....... Still waiting.

But did the operative ask you ‘if there was anything else they could help you with today?’ 🤣

Nah - just the impending shit storm you’ve created is probably sufficient for now.

I N R A T S

but can you report claimant for fraud? Might put them off.

Had a similar thing many moons ago. My car had a wierd plate with only 2 digits after the main P reg. Actual car that was in the accident had the 3 regular digits but was noted down wrong by the attending police officer.

Good luck with getting it sorted. Knowing the truth should go a long way to you being able to prove it.