Drivers beware the online claims hijackers! Scam targets motorists with bogus websites that can rob them of up to £50,000 – here’s how it works

Motorists have been urged to take extra care when searching for their insurer online as a new breed of ‘claims hijackers’ are on the loose who will try to rob them of thousands of pounds after they have been involved in an accident.

The Insurance Fraud Bureau says there have been numerous cases of vIrresponsible people who are targeted every day by scammers who use paid ad spoof websites to appear at the top of Google and other search engines to trick unwitting drivers into thinking they will be redirected to the real insurer’s site.

People wanting to make a claim may accidentally contact one of these third-party sites through an advertisement thinking they are dealing with their provider, only to find themselves trapped in legal deals with unknown companies and incurring costs of up to £50,000 to have to deal with.

How claim hijackers use paid advertising to scam drivers

When someone uses a search engine like Google to contact their insurer and file a claim after a collision or damage to their vehicle, misleading advertisements paid for by unscrupulous companies can trick victims into contacting them.

These often appear high in search results, which would give people the impression that it is a real website.

When a victim clicks on the link, he or she is taken to a scam site and asked for their personal information to receive “support services” and possibly file a claim, resulting in a network of unsolicited third-party agreements.

While any type of insurance customer can be a victim of paid advertising scams, those involved in a traffic accident are considered to be at greatest risk as they may be shocked after an accident and unable to think clearly when making a claim.

These victims may also think that their fully comprehensive car insurance covers everything, but because they don’t realize that they are not dealing with their insurer, they are being charged thousands in fees.

Who pays these costs varies.

If the other driver is at fault, the company will file a claim with its insurer to cover the costs of his unsolicited services. In these cases, the affected person may not realize that he/she has been linked to a scam.

However, if the other driver is not at fault for the collision, responsibility will be placed on the person who incorrectly contacted the claims agency for support, to cover any costs that could otherwise have been reimbursed through their insurer.

These costs can amount to tens of thousands of euros and can result in non-stop threatening phone calls to the victim from third-party companies.

The IFB is currently investigating several companies suspected of being involved in the activity.

How to avoid falling victim to claim hijackers

The IFB says consumers should be vigilant when searching for their insurer online.

They should check the phone number and website URL of ads to ensure they are legitimate before sharing personal information and agreeing to claim services.

Ideally, customers should keep their insurer’s contact details on their phone or write them down somewhere safe (these contact details are on a policy sheet).

To prevent the problem from getting worse, IFB has teamed up with insurer Aviva, one of the companies often misrepresented, to launch a joint campaign to help motorists – especially older drivers who are not as tech-savvy – understand how paid advertising scams work and avoid getting caught.

Ursula Jallow, director of IFB, said: ‘The scale and complexity of paid advertising scams is significant.

“Millions use and search for insurance services every day, and it only takes a small number of people to fall for the paid advertising scam for a series of dodgy companies to profit enormously from their misfortune.”

She warns that there is one ‘minefield of claim hijackers’ out there and consumers need to be vigilant.

“Anyone concerned about paid ad spoofing should report it to our CheatLine,” she said.

Aviva, like other major insurers, is increasingly finding that their customers are being targeted by paid advertising scams, with a dozen unscrupulous companies now known to have misrepresented themselves as the insurer’s claims management team.

The IFB says consumers should be vigilant when searching for their insurer online. They should check the phone number and website URL of ads to ensure they are legitimate before sharing personal information and agreeing to claim services

Many of Aviva’s customers who have been misled are more vulnerable and include the elderly or those in distress in the immediate aftermath of an accident.

When people realize that they are not receiving services that they thought were part of their insurance policy, they are faced with a helpless situation of being chased by third parties to pay unsolicited fees.

In one case, Aviva says a claims agency pursued one victim for more than £50,000 in costs.

Pete Ward, head of claims counterfraud and the insurer, said: ‘When a customer is in a car accident, they turn to their insurer to help them in their time of need.

‘Deliberately misleading consumers at their most vulnerable point – usually seeking their insurer’s claims details at the roadside after an accident – ​​causes fear and financial stress for those involved.

‘Aviva has been working with the IFB, law enforcement agencies and the wider insurance industry to raise awareness among consumers about the online scammers and protect them from these unscrupulous actors. We hope this will prevent others from being targeted by paid ad spoofing.”