PoliceWitness: Fears of Russian scam arriving in UK
CRASH for cash scams are already costing the UK motorist £400 million a year, however ‘Injury for Cash’ is likely to hit the UK much harder while the wave of foreign nationals arriving in the UK continues to gather pace, the boss of PoliceWitness.com has warned.
With poverty and the direct effects of austerity measures affecting countries worldwide, people are literally throwing themselves in front of passing vehicles in order to claim personal injury compensation. So prolific is the problem in Russia, that over 50% of vehicles now have dash cams installed, hence why so much footage of Russia’s dramatic meteor shower was caught on camera.
Popular with scammers in Russia, one con sees a pedestrian deliberately running into the oncoming path of a bus in order to gain compensation for injuries. The individual is literally bounced from the side of the bus, which continues on its journey, the scammer on this occasion not seriously hurt. Our ‘no win – no fee’ insurance culture is literally a haven for those who wish to defraud the system, but with minimal legal cover on our policies, usually £50-100,000 – could UK motorists be heading for a financial abyss?
The only salvation is of course video evidence, caught on an in-car camera or dash cam as they are often referred to, which can prove the innocence of the driver, and the wrong doing of the pedestrian, if the matter goes to court– something PoliceWitness.com advises UK motorists to copy.
Mr Stockdale said: “With the UK’s doors wide open, we are not only welcoming new cultures and beliefs, which is great for a diverse society, but with that comes new ways to defraud the UK public and its infrastructure. It will not be long before the Russian scam is prevalent over here.
“Drivers must protect themselves from being ridiculed and conned by people who are only bothered about obtaining money through their wrong-doing.
“PoliceWitness.com urges motorists to take matters into their own hands and install a dashcam to prove their careful driving. It could be the only thing to stop this appalling crime from affecting them.”
There are many benefits of having a dash cam installed, not least protecting what is in essence the second largest purchase the majority of us make in our lifetime, these include:
- the ability to prove to your insurer that a collision was not your fault,
- safe guarding your no claims bonus, your excess and of course next year’s premium,
- supporting the police in keeping dangerous drivers off the road.
PoliceWitness.com has helped many members of the public to report dangerous driving and criminal activity they have captured on film to their local police force. They work closely with all UK police forces on behalf of individuals and have secured numerous fines, penalties, prosecutions, and bans.
For further information, log on to www.policewitness.com.
ENDS
CONTACT:
Matt Stockdale, CEO of PoliceWitness.com is available for comment / interview. Please contact Stella Hulott, SpeediePR on: stella.hulott@speediepr.co.uk or call 01843 831088
ABOUT:
PoliceWitness.com has extensive knowledge of both frontline and strategic policing, and the operation of the Crown Prosecution Service. Through its contacts with the police, PoliceWitness.com facilitates the consideration of ‘prosecution quality’ video evidence supplied directly from the public, reporting road related incidents in a format the police and CPS recognise and can act upon. Reports are submitted directly to a specifically assigned officer, thus by-passing the control centre who are then free to process more urgent requests for assistance.
This proactive approach to true ‘public’ policing offers a standardised, commercial methodology across all forces, saving our police forces huge amounts of resource and planning. Whilst providing this service, PoliceWitness.com is able to identify countrywide public perceptions, and more importantly expectations, with regard to road related offences and the service provided by the authorities.
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