Manchester’s M8 postcode, which includes Cheetham Hill has been ranked sixth in the UK’s “crash for cash” postcode league.

The table is compiled by the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) and highlights areas of the country where fraudsters manufacture collisions with other road users, hoping to profit from insurance claims.

Postcode districts in the Manchester postal area also feature prominently on the list, with five postcodes in the top 30Surrounding area Oldham also features twice, as well as Bolton postcode BL3 being included on the list.

These criminals often target innocent road users in order to profit from fraudulent insurance claims, putting motorist’s lives at risk. Fraudulent motor claims submitted following the accident can also result in false personal injury and credit hire claims. Such scams are estimated to cost the industry £336 million each year, with a single collision potentially worth tens of thousands of pounds.

The IFB is committed to detecting and disrupting these scams, and the hotspots data serves to highlight the key postcode districts that are high risk for this type of fraud. By working closely with Police and insurers, IFB is clamping down on these criminals and ultimately taking them off the roads and putting them behind bars.

Ben Fletcher, Director of the IFB says “These scams may seem to some to be a harmless way to beat the system and get an easy pay out with minimal risk. The reality is that not only do those people now stand a very good chance of getting caught and facing the consequences, but these scams put other motorist’s lives at risk. Fraudsters are taking vehicles out on public roads and forcing innocent people into needless collisions. Not only does that present a real risk of injury, but sadly we know of at least one fatality that has occurred as a result of these incredibly dangerous and reckless incidents. These hotspots may be the worst affected areas for these types of scams, but crash for cash collisions can happen anywhere, so it’s imperative that road users are aware of them, exercise appropriate caution and if they believe they’ve been a victim, report it as soon as they can”.

Motorists should remain vigilant to the tell-tale signs of a crash for cash scam which can include:

  • the other driver being far too calm for someone that’s been involved in a car accident
  • the driver having already written down their insurance details prior to the accident
  • any claimed injuries appearing to be completely at odds with the force of the impact.

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