A new list of crash for cash hotspots has been revealed after the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) says it has found evidence gangs are traveling out to areas away from the usual hotspots to cause collisions and claim thousands at the expense of unsuspecting motorists.
Known hotspots include bigger towns and cities like London, Birmingham, Bradford, Walsall, Blackburn, Romford, Manchester and Luton - but this list has been expanded.
The bureau has now identified 10 new areas which have been frequently targeted in the last year;
• Frome
• Worksop
• Cirencester
• Milton Keynes
• Nottingham
• Shrewsbury
• Warrington
• Leicester
• Ashby
• Derby
In addition to the new areas mentioned, the IFB has issued warnings to those traveling villages that it's highly likely scammers are targeting these areas, too.
Ben Fletcher, director at the IFB, Said: "Crash for cash fraudsters are known to evolve their tactics and the latest evidence shows that they've started spreading out from prominent crime hotspots to less suspecting towns and cities in the hope that they can avoid detection. "
"This change in tactic brings home the fact that no matter where people may live, everyone should be on their guard to these reckless car crash scams."
"To help us stop cases from rising and bring these fraudsters to justice we urge drivers to look out for signs of crash for cash scams and to report any evidence of it to us straight away."
There are also fears that the cost of living crisis could make these scams more prevalent.
Detective Chief Inspector Tom Hill, From City of London Police, said: "As we have seen in the past, a rise in cost of living and resulting financial hardships can often drive people to commit fraud.
"Unfortunately, this means that the public need to be even more alert than usual to fraudsters, like crash for cash drivers."
Crash for cash gangs operates by slamming on their brakes at busy junctions and roundabouts so the driver behind cannot stop in time.
These drivers often work in groups and have been known to have one car circulating a roundabout, operating as the trigger , before another car in the queue of traffic waiting to join would slam on the 'avoid' the partner's car circulating the roundabout.
See how this is costing the UK motorists millions
