​RCA, a car insurance fraud group, has been operating in Bucharest for several years using the “crash” or “crash for cash” method. In particular, they deliberately cause accidents by profiting from traffic jams, carelessness and the customs of certain intersections or roundabouts, in order to later get injured and collect compensation from insurance companies.

According to sources close to the case, which is pending in court, several members of the group have been charged with insurance fraud.

How the “crash for cash” method works: hundreds of “crashes” in recent years

According to HotNews.ro sources, since 2009 a group specialized in RCA-type car insurance fraud was formed in the capital, the method was to deliberately cause accidents by speculating on traffic at intersections such as Baba Novac, Charles de Gaulle . , Splaiul Independenții or Mihai Bravo.

• “At these intersections, although there are dedicated left-turn lanes, the vast majority of road users continued to move forward, and at that moment the accused, being in the adjacent lane, gave the impression that they accepted a car from the left. forward lane and accelerating, thereby causing an accident in which they were damaged.
• Thanks to this method, they managed to “get hurt” in more than 350 accidents in recent years, receiving such compensations from insurance companies. In addition, in order to maximize their profits, they submitted repair bills with inflated hours and large rental car bills (which are covered by the law), skimmed the cars they returned to service, and caused other such accidents.
• It should be noted that they were also the owners or beneficial owners of car rental services and companies that billed insurance companies for losses in which they were so-called injured parties. The sources, who wished to remain anonymous, explained to HotNews.ro.

Prosecutors said: “It is highly unlikely that he would be so unlucky and hit so often.”

An extract from the report of the prosecutor’s office, which HotNews.ro got acquainted with, shows how one of the defendants acted.

He identifies potential victims in traffic in Bucharest, gives them the impression that he gives them priority in the passage and takes advantage of the very congested traffic in the capital (drivers often allow their partners on the road to overtake, change lanes, etc. with great difficulty for in the absence of traffic police, for example, entering the main boulevard from a side street would be practically impossible if those who were moving on the road with priority did not allow it) and due to the lack of attention of these car drivers, deliberately ramming cars by speeding up or turning on them.

After the accident, the defendant convinced the drivers that they were to blame for the collision, which is why he concluded a settlement agreement with them

• “Immediately after the accident, he is calm, sometimes even cheerful, gets off the steering wheel with a friendly hand, manifestations inappropriate for a person who has just been in a road accident, without traces of excitement or nervousness, especially in conditions of who is “innocent”.
• A strong argument in favor of the preservation of direct intent, qualified as the purpose with which (…) he committed the acts incriminated against him, is also the extremely large number of traffic accidents in which he took place in just a few years, it is extremely unlikely that he would have been so unlucky to be hit so often, a driver who drives every day, having an average of several damage files in his entire life,” prosecutors said in their appeal to the court.

How would the defendants benefit from this type of fraud

HotNews.ro sources claim that in order to give credibility and weight to accidents, in certain situations after collisions they called 112 and claimed to be injured, the police, ambulance and fire brigade arrived urgently at the scene.

• “Given the very high frequency of traffic accidents they cause, this type of fraud (known as Crash for Cash) has become a phenomenon in the insurance market, putting even traffic safety at risk.
• After opening loss files in insurance companies, they received improper compensation, which can be estimated at more than 2 million lei (if we refer to the average loss per number of files),” the sources also stated.

The investigation in this case was carried out by the police and the prosecutor’s office with the support and experience of specialists in the fight against fraud in the insurance market.