Get Protection from Insurance Fraud

How to Prevent Fraud when Shopping for Insurance

* If you didn't seek out auto insurance offers, don't listen to them. Unsolicited packages, such as those you get from door-to-door people or over-the-phone salespeople, should be avoided at all costs.
* Before doing business with any "insurer", check to see if they have been licensed by the state you live in.
* Always take the time to read the entire policy. Don't be pressured into skipping parts or skimming it, as you should really understand exactly what the contract is you are signing. It is legally binding and you will have to abide by it. If you have to ask ten thousand questions and the agent is pulling his or her hair out, so be it!
* Pay special attention to those additional bits they try to throw in. So-called "free" additions are rarely free.

How to Prevent Fraud when Driving

Fraudsters try to cause collisions that are legally your fault so that you have to pay all the damages and medical expenses. Even if you are a careful driver, it is hard to beat these guys unless you are alert at all times to the techniques they are trying to use.

Side Swipes During Left Turns

When you make a left turn, you often have two lanes you can turn from. In these cases, the left-most lane is supposed to turn into the first lane after the intersection and the turn lane to the right of that is supposed to take the second lane after the intersection. However, when you are in the intersection, you are still supposed to be in a lane - but it is often invisible!

People committing car insurance fraud will use this as an opportunity to get you. If you stray from your lane at all, they can side swipe you and make you pay for damages, since you are technically at-fault.

You can beat this car insurance fraud technique by always being careful to stay in the correct turn lane in intersections. Never change lanes in an intersection!

Swoop-and-Squat and Rear-end Fraud

Sometimes fraud artists will try to get you to collide with their rear end. (Believe me, this is not as attractive as dance clubs make it seem.) The idea is that the car in front of you can quickly slam on their breaks, causing you to drive into them. Because the rear vehicle is always responsible for rear-end collisions, according to most state laws, you will be held accountable.

To make this seem less obvious, they use the "swoop-and-squat" technique. One car cuts in front of another, which causes the second driver to slam on the breaks, and you to slam into them. Then, the first car drives off.

The key to avoiding the rear-end car insurance fraud is to give yourself lots of room between you and the car ahead of you and to stay alert so that you can stop in time. Give yourself at least three seconds to stop, imagining that the car in front of you is going to come to a dead halt.