It has to be one of the stupidest, and most dangerous, ways of trying to make a buck.
Car accident scammers are busy all over the globe, jumping on vehicles, jumping in front of vehicles, standing at the curb and leaning into autos as they turn.
It's all in the name of either making some quick "settlement" deal with a driver, or a potential lawsuit bounty. In New York City, for example, one report reveals one in three incidents had some sort of fraud activity behind it.
The good news is that the increasing number of web cams and street cameras has become useful in putting on record a growing number of car accident scams. The bad news is it's still happening - and if you're not paying attention on the road, you may actually hurt or kill one of these car accident con artists and face real penalties as well as the devastating feelings of seriously injuring someone because you weren't focused on the road.
The reality is, as stipulated in motor vehicle laws, the pedestrian, bicycle rider, and jogger have rights and the right of way, and must follow rules as well.
Unless it's caught on camera or video, the truth comes down to the driver versus the injured person. If it turns out the driver was talking, texting or doing something besides just driving, the scammer has a good shot at winning in court and landing a hefty civil settlement. Drivers face losing their license, potential jail time and likely the loss of insurance on their vehicle.
It's not only the pedestrian who may be trying to score an accident scam. Con game drivers will cut off a car and stop short in hopes the car behind hits them. There's also the "Good Samaritan" scam where someone helping at the site of a supposed accident waves another car through and manipulates the driver into hitting one of the cars or people in the initial "accident."
Such activity, according to the video below, is much more prevalent in certain countries and regions, likely since street cams and video cameras are not as prevalent as they are in U.S. cities.
