Am I victim of a Car Insurance scam??

firemansam4

Hi I would appreciate any thoughts on this...

Today I was involved in a car accident, I was driving down a main road towards a major round about, there was 1 car in front of me and it seemed to be pulling away as there was nothing coming - at this point i turned right to see if it was clear and next thing I banged into the back of this car, it was not that hard of a bang, but enough to wreck the bumper of the car.

I never really thought anything more than it being a careless mistake by me, i was very apologetic to the individuals and I came to an agreement with them to pay the damages myself if they got an estimate.

Now there was a man and a woman in the car and they were a couple visiting over here for a few days and going back to England this weekend.

They have since contacted me back with an estimate of 1500 euros, and i have agreed to meet them tomorrow to pay it off.

Now I have been thinking to myself that I am just being extremely paranoid but I have read online about insurance scams and they sound very similar to whats happened to me, and in some cases people take the cash settlement and then sue for 10's of thousands in personal injuries soon after.

I'm really not sure what to do now about this, and I just really hope it is just me being paranoid!

Coles

Were the Gardai called to the scene? Is there any record of the accident?

What accident?

NoQuarter

Meet them at a garage you know to get the car looked at yourself and get your own quote first.

Second, write up a document stating that you are paying them whatever amount to repair their bumper and the amount is the full and final settlement of the matter or something along those lines.

Sounds ok to me but be careful.

mikehammer67

expensive bumper wha........................:pac:

michael999999

Sorry to say OP, but If you had stayed far enough back, there would be no problem.

Ging Ging

Get them to sign a receipt saying what it is for. It sounds steep but its hard to know.

Coles

Was there any reason for the driver to brake suddenly? If the answer is 'no' then beware.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/8318338.stm

Coles

And another point. NEVER admit liability at the scene of an accident. It doesn't matter if it was clearly your fault or not. In the small print of your policy are probably the words that explain that the Insurance company doesn't have to honour your policy if you have admitted liability. Those words are in most policies.

I'd be interested to know more about the driver and passenger of the car.

Lingua Franca

This sounds very much like a common scam. You should either go through your insurance, or contact the Gards to report it and then make sure you either meet them at the garage or say you'll only pay the garage directly.

the_syco

firemansam4 wrote: »

Now there was a man and a woman in the car and they were a couple visiting over here for a few days and going back to England this weekend.

Was it an english reg, or not? If not, it's a possible rental.

firemansam4 wrote: »

They have since contacted me back with an estimate of 1500 euros, and i have agreed to meet them tomorrow to pay it off.

You have the right to have your mechanic check it out, as I really doubt it'll cost €1500 - sounds like you may be paying for their holiday!

Did you take photos of the damage to their car?

Kristopherus

NoQuarter wrote: »

Meet them at a garage you know to get the car looked at yourself and get your own quote first.

Second, write up a document stating that you are paying them whatever amount to repair their bumper and the amount is the full and final settlement of the matter or something along those lines.

Sounds ok to me but be careful.

Very good point. Also the OP should have a witness with him, who should also sign the document. Get the injured parties to sign as well, - 4 signatures in total.

firemansam4

Well they had a camera and took pictures of both cars, so safe to say there is evidence. The car was only 1 year old so unfortunately it will be an expensive bumper.

I know the garage that they got an estimate from so I might call up there first before I meet with them just to validate the quote they got, It was a reputable Ford Garage but safe to say it is probably where you would get the most expensive quote.

It all happened so fast earlier i'm not sure why the car stopped all of a sudden, but i don't remember seeing anything comming

ohh and it was English registered

firemansam4

NoQuarter wrote: »

Meet them at a garage you know to get the car looked at yourself and get your own quote first.

Second, write up a document stating that you are paying them whatever amount to repair their bumper and the amount is the full and final settlement of the matter or something along those lines.

Sounds ok to me but be careful.

Lingua Franca wrote: »

This sounds very much like a common scam. You should either go through your insurance, or contact the Gards to report it and then make sure you either meet them at the garage or say you'll only pay the garage directly.

Kristopherus wrote: »

Very good point. Also the OP should have a witness with him, who should also sign the document. Get the injured parties to sign as well, - 4 signatures in total.

Thanks for all the advice, I'm going to make up a document and see can i get another witness for tomorrow, and maybe meeting them at the garage is a good idea as well

firemansam4

Coles wrote: »

And another point. NEVER admit liability at the scene of an accident. It doesn't matter if it was clearly your fault or not. In the small print of your policy are probably the words that explain that the Insurance company doesn't have to honour your policy if you have admitted liability. Those words are in most policies.

I'd be interested to know more about the driver and passenger of the car.

I thought about that wording "don't admit liability" right after i admitted liability, I suppose the shock of what happened I was not thinking straight.

They seemed genuine enough - a couple traveling over here for a few days from England.
They were initially reluctant to settle privately but then changed there minds a little bit after when they got all my insurance details

11wingnut

Would it not be cheaper in the uk?

johnnyskeleton

firemansam4 wrote: »

Hi I would appreciate any thoughts on this...

Today I was involved in a car accident, I was driving down a main road towards a major round about, there was 1 car in front of me and it seemed to be pulling away as there was nothing coming - at this point i turned right to see if it was clear and next thing I banged into the back of this car, it was not that hard of a bang, but enough to wreck the bumper of the car.

I never really thought anything more than it being a careless mistake by me, i was very apologetic to the individuals and I came to an agreement with them to pay the damages myself if they got an estimate.

Now there was a man and a woman in the car and they were a couple visiting over here for a few days and going back to England this weekend.

They have since contacted me back with an estimate of 1500 euros, and i have agreed to meet them tomorrow to pay it off.

Now I have been thinking to myself that I am just being extremely paranoid but I have read online about insurance scams and they sound very similar to whats happened to me, and in some cases people take the cash settlement and then sue for 10's of thousands in personal injuries soon after.

I'm really not sure what to do now about this, and I just really hope it is just me being paranoid!

Were you insured? If so, contact your insurer. Even if you don't want to pay the no claims, they will usually get you a free assessor and put you on to a reasonably priced mechanic to fix it for less.

€1500 is not a massive amount - even though it was a minor collision it might not be possible to fix just by panel beating and so the boot/door might have to be replaced. I think the important lesson is to always be aware of the cars and pedestrians around you.

firemansam4

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Were you insured? If so, contact your insurer. Even if you don't want to pay the no claims, they will usually get you a free assessor and put you on to a reasonably priced mechanic to fix it for less.

€1500 is not a massive amount - even though it was a minor collision it might not be possible to fix just by panel beating and so the boot/door might have to be replaced. I think the important lesson is to always be aware of the cars and pedestrians around you.

I have already contacted my insurance to report what happened - the problem is they are going home at the weekend so would have to get the work done there but they needed a cost estimate.

I have been driving for probably 15 years now and this is the first collision i've ever had, but guess it just takes a split second for that to change

firemansam4

11wingnut wrote: »

Would it not be cheaper in the uk?

probably would be but im probably not really in the position to argue it

johnnyskeleton

firemansam4 wrote: »

I have already contacted my insurance to report what happened - the problem is they are going home at the weekend so would have to get the work done there but they needed a cost estimate.

Well don't let them steamroll you into agreeing just because they are going home. Try to facilitate them as best you can, but the bottom line is that if it takes time then it takes time.

I have been driving for probably 15 years now and this is the first collision i've ever had, but guess it just takes a split second for that to change

Yep, can happen to anybody. Arguably people still learning to drive are less likely to get into a collision. Consider it a blessing that your one and hopefully only car accident ever was as minor as could be.

firemansam4

Just to update on this...

I took the advice given and drew up a document stating how much i was paying and that they agreed it was full and final settlement and also that there was no injuries involved, also that they wont claim for future injuries - they signed it and me and another witness signed it.

I checked with the ford garage who gave them a quote, and they explained the break down and that there was a few things needed to be replaced, so with that I just decided to cut my loses and pay what was quoted to them.

I have to say that on meeting them again they did seem genuine, and have been very reasonable about the whole thing. It didn't seem to me like any scam but then you never know.

Very hard hit to take financially but at least nobody was hurt and i'm hoping that a line is drawn under the sand now on this.

I would like to thank all the advice given to me, it was much apreciated.

Lingua Franca

Ah, glad to hear it! You were right to be suspicious and cover your own ass but it's good that a genuine accident was sorted out so quickly and easily.