Staged Accidents Soar 58% in Florida

The number of suspicious auto accidents that were staged or deliberately caused by criminals in Florida has increased dramatically in the past year. A study by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) of questionable claims (QCs) submitted by its insurance company members shows a 58 percent jump from 2008 to 2009.

“South Florida used to be the focal point of these deliberate crashes,” said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. “While the Miami and Hialeah areas continue to show increased activity, the criminals have expanded their operation northward and Tampa is now at the epicenter of this crime trend.”

Wehrle said the number of questionable claims for all insurance fraud increased 15 percent from 2008 to 2009 in Florida. But the 58 percent jump in the staged/caused accident category shows that criminals are taking advantage of the state’s no-fault auto coverage.

Wehrle said his organization created a fraud task force in South Florida in 2002 to focus on this type of insurance fraud. Now a similar task force will concentrate in Tampa and Orlando.

The report shows Tampa with 487 QCs related to staged/caused accidents in 2009, a 290 percent increase over the previous year. Miami had 258, an 11 percent increase, and Orlando had 240, a 24 percent increase.

NICB has begun a public awareness campaign in the Tampa area to urge people who suspect a staged accident scheme to call 1-800-TEL-NICB.