Perpetrators of a £1.1m ‘cash for crash’ scam were successfully convicted with the help of telematics data.
Five criminals out of a network of 19 who conspired to engineer crashes to claim personal injury claims were sentenced, with telematics data providing crucial evidence.
The ringleader conspired to create up to 300 fake collisions, and made false insurance claims through his company, a Hertfordshire-based accident management firm.
He was convicted of eight counts of fraud at Harrow Crown Court, and was sentenced to five years in jail in May 2016. Four others involved in the scam received sentences between 16 months and 4.5 years.
A telematics box installed in the lead car of the scam provided data which was then analysed by fraud investigators APU.
The information proved sufficient to cancel the planned testimony of further prosecution witnesses, closing the Metropolitan Police case, and saving the motor insurance industry approximately £1.1m in fraudulent personal injury claims.
Neil Thomas, director of investigative services at APU, said: “We were very pleased to be able to assist the police, the courts, and ultimately the victims as expert witnesses.
“I am delighted that APU and the Met Police have been instrumental in serving justice to another dangerous group of individuals.”
