Possible fraudulent 3rd party claim on car insurance

[Aukey]

Hi All, Hoping someone can give some good advice...

I had a call from my car insurance stating a 3rd party was claiming on my insurance for an accident, i obviously thought it was a scammer so told them to email me. They did and it wasn't.....

My insurance have said that in April this year my car had been involved in an accident. It hadn't as it was with me and no one else drives it. I'm assuming wrong reg number. They said that they couldn't really make out the damage from the picture they had.

They have now asked me a ladies name and if i know her. I don't and have never heard the name anywhere before they mentioned it. 2 days later after saying i don't, i now have a letter saying i haven't notified them of the accident despite previous correspondence and the lady that was driving my car wasn't insured on my car at the time. The first i knew of the claim was a week or so ago when they told me, plus the woman wouldn't be insured as i've never heard of her and no one else drives my car.

They have received a claim from Keoghs solicitors for compensation. My insurer has said i have failed to follow the terms of my policy, etc.

They asked me to complete a form of consent and indemnity and return within 14 days or they will deal with it as they see fit and will seek to recover costs from me.

Something doesn't sit right with me, for instance the 5 months gap between the accident and now, you're meant to report it to the police within 24hrs iirc? Where the womans name has come from, if at the accident then were are the photos?

I'm going to ask these questions as i don't see they are doing their job as my insurer if the other people don't have any evidence.

Are there any other questions i should be asking that i can't think of at the moment or anything else i should be doing in regards to the 14 day deadline before they do what they want?

I hope this makes some sense, i'm not good at typing things out.

Thaks in advance...

[DE DOGS]

Why not ask your insurance Co. as to how this lady has your details? how she got your name and address etc, as she must surely prove how she obtained it. Also ask where did this accident occur, the time and date etc, and the weather on that day. What make and model of the car and colour you were alleged to be driving, if you are involved in an accident you must exchange details, and pose that to your insurance. Those are some of the questions I would ask and then hopefully you will dispute this claim. PS please follow up as this is interesting.

[sandfordboy]

I have friends who were involed in near identical circumstances, go with all that DEDOGS said, do not do anything unless confirmed here,

[Aukey]

Cheers for replies, The lady is apparently the one that was driving my car, i would've thought the only way they would've got her name was at the incident which makes me wonder why they're no photos.

The other people who's vehicle was hit passed my reg number on to their insurance which led tthem to me and the reg would give them all the details of the car. They told me the time and date, it was in April this year which made me wonder to start with. As you say, you're meant to swap details so if that's how they got this womans name then they must've taken photos. There are photos of the other vehicle but who knows when they were taken.

I'm about to send an email asking for pictures of the other vehicle and names and addresses of all involved.

How this ladies name came into it.

What proof is there that it was my vehicle regardless of the registration that was given. Something doesn't add up in my eyes.

I will definitely be disputing it and will be calling them on Tuesday to follow up my email.

I will come back with the next instalment...

Thanks again..

[wales01man]

How much damage was alleged to be on this other car? Has your car sustained any damage and at the time of this so called accident where was the car ?

[Aukey]

The photo they provided wasn't very good by the sounds of it as my insurance had trouble seeing the damage. Apparently at the back and a bit along the side. My car didn't have damage as it was at home with me, the accident was in London and i never go there anyway.

[sandfordboy]

Any note of personal injuries issues at this stage ?

[dslippy]

I do not understand. In one voice you say the claim is fraudulent, then in another you say it was a woman driving with your consent.

[DE DOGS]

I do not understand. In one voice you say the claim is fraudulent, then in another you say it was a woman driving with your consent.

I did pick up on that, but I let it go to see the end result.

[Aukey]

Any note of personal injuries issues at this stage ?

Not at the moment, hoping it doesn't come to that, it shouldn't do as they won't be able to show photos of my car as it wasn't there. They're waiting back again from the other insurers so all a waiting game.

[Aukey]

I do not understand. In one voice you say the claim is fraudulent, then in another you say it was a woman driving with your consent.

After reading my post again to see what you mean, i can only assume it's this bit that i've worded wrongly. "2 days later after saying i don't, i now have a letter saying i haven't notified them of the accident despite previous correspondence and the lady that was driving my car wasn't insured on my car at the time." Tbf i never mentioned consent. Anyhow,

Let me know if it isn't and i'll explain, it does say at the bottom i'm not good at typing things out.

I've spoken to insurance again today, they say the letter must have been sent just before i spoke with them on the phone, i can sign it or not, i told him it wouldn't be signed regardless as yet again my car wasn't there. I'm hoping it's as simple as a wrong reg but can't understand why the other insurer hasn't passed on photos, would be the simplest way of sorting it.

Will keep you updated....

[Manxman]

I do not understand. In one voice you say the claim is fraudulent, then in another you say it was a woman driving with your consent.

Like Aukey I don't understand what you mean?

Unless I've missed it the only mention of "consent" made by Aukey is where they have said that their insurer is asking for their consent (ie AUKEY's consent) and indemnity to deal with the claim.

So far as I can tell AUKEY denies all knowledge of the woman alleged to have been driving his car and most certainly did not give them consent.

Have I missed something?

[Manxman]

... I've spoken to insurance again today, they say the letter must have been sent just before i spoke with them on the phone, i can sign it or not, i told him it wouldn't be signed regardless as yet again my car wasn't there. I'm hoping it's as simple as a wrong reg but can't understand why the other insurer hasn't passed on photos, would be the simplest way of sorting it.

Will keep you updated....

Make absolutely sure that your insurers understand that you are adamant that (1) you have no knowledge whatsoever of this alleged accident and (2) you have never given consent to [name of woman] - who is unknown to you - to drive your car.

Make sure you communicate that to them in writing - do not rely on 'phone calls. Any 'phone calls you have with your insurer regarding this, make sure you confirm the details in writing after the call.

Ask them (in writing) whether you should still return the consent etc to them as you are denying all knowledge of the accident.

Start collecting any evidence you have that your car could not have been involved in any accident as it was somewhere else, and you can demonstrate that fact. (Hopefully you can, but does anybody else have access to your car who could have been involved in an accident you don't know about? Do any women you know have access to the car and could have used it on the day in question without your knowledge? You need to consider these points.)

It's possible that this isn't a third party "scam" but that you are a victim of having your car's registration cloned. When or if you get photos of the alleged accident check very carefully for differences between your car and the "accident" car.

Keep it in writing. Confirm anything said or agreed in 'phone calls in writing.

[Manxman]

Just to clarify, the point of keeping it in writing is so that you have a clear record of everything you tell your insurers and when you told them. email is probably OK, but I wouldn't use text messages as too easy to misunderstand. I'd probably use email and snail mail, but I love the belt and braces approach...

[atticus]

I think that what the OP is trying to say that it was not his car that was involved in this accident but another vehicle driven by someone completely different and not connected to him, and that he/she did not express himself as clearly as he/she could have done.

I can see 2 possible scenarios.

First, someone noted the registration number incorrectly.

Second, (as Manxman has suggested) the vehicle involved in the accident was on false plates, which just happen to show the registration number of the OP's car.

So I would start by getting details of the vehicle involved in the accident - make, model, colour etc - to compare with the OP's own vehicle.