Taxi Driver Online

Fraudsters dive in front of taxis to claim compo in shocking new scam



Cabbies are in fear of scam artists' newest scheme and are arming themselves with dashboard cameras

Scheming fraudsters are throwing themselves out in front of cars in the latest compo scam.

The Irish Mirror has learned con artists are targeting drivers on Dublin city centre roads where the speed limit is slow enough to ensure they’re not seriously injured.

The latest insurance racket sees fraudsters jump out from crowded pavements and dive in front of cars and taxis in a bid to claim thousands in compensation.

And the money-spinner has become so widespread savvy taxi drivers are now arming their motors with sophisticated dashboard cameras to outsmart the fake victims.

One cabbie revealed: “I was almost caught out a few months ago when a man jumped off the pavement in O’Connell Street and landed in front of my taxi.

“I can’t explain it but I was driving along and I noticed a man wearing a rather luminous peaked cap weaving his way in and out of the crowds quite hastily and it just struck me it was suspicious so I started to slow and by the time he had thrown himself out in front of my taxi I had managed to slam on the brakes.

“So he bounced off my bonnet and into the path of another taxi coming alongside me.

“The driver was pretty shook up and your man was 100% so I passed on my details and told him I’d be more than happy to give a statement to the cops about what had happened.”

The driver, who has since bought a mini dashboard camera to avoid similar close shaves in future, added: “Being on the road all day every day for the past 10 years I thought I had seen it all in terms of scams and dodgy claims ploys but this one takes the biscuit.”

Just last month it emerged there are at least six insurance fraud rings operating around the country and that dodgy claims add around €50 to drivers’ premiums.

Figures revealed staged accidents are so common insurers have stepped up efforts to clamp down on fraud.

Lobby group Insurance Ireland set up a special committee in January in a bid to tackle the issue and it was revealed that a spate of spurious accident claims in at least six locations in particular – Swords and Tallaght in Dublin, the Cork area, Galway, the Border region, and Ennis in Co Clare were raising eyebrows.

Christy Humphreys from the National Private Hire and Taxi Association yesterday told the Irish Mirror: “There’s a lot of this going on and drivers are terrified of falling victim to it.

“But drivers are reporting people now throwing themselves in front of taxis. Like there’s nearly too much going on to get your head around.”

Managing director of www.coverinaclick.ie Jonathan Hehir added: “We’ve only ever come across this anecdotally but as for fraudulent claims in general, the sheer number being processed is huge and a number of professional fraud rings have been busted.”

source: http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-ne ... im-5393546

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

If only someone could invent a camera that records events inside and outside of vehicles, which would lead to these idiots getting nothing from these scam insurance claims.

If only.

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IDFIMH

There you go Sussex.

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Grandad,