Car insurance customers may become a victim of the fraud in their panic to contact insurance providers to report an incident. However, drivers may really be calling dodgy claims firms who will steal personal details to offer a range of expensive services to vulnerable road users.
He warned drivers may be “anxious and panicked” which could cause them to rush into a call without checking they are speaking to the right firm.
He said: “We know that fraudsters often try and target people when they’re at their most vulnerable, and ‘click-to-call’ insurer ads is a prime example of this.
“Immediately after someone is involved in a collision, it’s likely they’ll be anxious and panicked, and this is when they’re most susceptible.”
“While we understand it’s natural to have these feelings, we’d urge people to try and remain calm and focused in this situation, being especially cautious if they use a search engine to search for their insurer’s details.”
Because of this simple loophole, most claims firms looking to scam drivers only place adverts on movie devices.
Mark Allen, manager of Fraud and Financial Crime at the ABI warned that the money lost through these scams are eventually paid for by “honest insurance customers”.
This is because firms must recoup any losses by charging road users more for their agreements.
He said: “People need to be on their guard against rogue claims firms, who encourage inflated, frivolous or false claims, and are always looking for new scams.
“These end up being paid for by all honest insurance customers through their premiums.
“People should only use the contact details of the insurer from their policy documents, confirm who they are talking to, and not assume that all online sites are genuine.”