Three lorry passengers who were involved in a minor traffic incident were caught out for making false insurance claims totalling £54,000 by information provided by a blackbox.
The lorry was driving at relatively low speeds when a Vauxhall Astra ran into the back of it. Minimal to no damage was suffered by either vehicles, but this didn’t stop the passengers of the lorry from taking out personal injury claims from Aviva, totalling £54,000.
However, the Astra involved was carrying a telematics device, more commonly known as a blackbox, as part of the car insurance policy the driver was on. These boxes record anything from top speeds to braking, in an effort to chart the characteristics of the driver, and the information recorded by the one in the collision showed that the injuries the lorry passengers claimed were completely implausible.
The case was heard in Macclesfield County Court after the Motor Fraud Specialists Asset Protection Unit analysed the data and found that the injuries suffered must be fictional.
Reportedly, the many accounts of fraud insurance claims made each day, estimated to be into the hundreds, is responsible for up to £50 extra on the price of each person’s insurance policy.
The fraudsters were not charged for taking out a false claim, the claims were just dismissed.