Staging Traffic Accident For Claim

Central China’s Henan police recently cracked a case in which three people were suspected of intentionally staging traffic accidents to defraud insurance payouts. While committing the crime, one suspect was accidentally killed.

A suspect surnamed Hu bought a second-hand SUV and devised a plan to scam insurance money. Hu, supposed to take the role of a passer-by in the hoax, recruited two others to stage a single-vehicle traffic accident. An accomplice surnamed You acted as the driver, while another Hu served as the informant.

In their sham story, You drove the SUV and crashed it into a poplar tree about 50 centimeters in diameter at a downhill corner. Unexpectedly, however, You, the driver, was killed instantly due to a driving error.

During the investigation, police uncovered several anomalies. For example, at the scene of the accident, the SUV’s airbags were not opened, and there were no signs of braking on the road. 

Further investigation revealed that Hu, posing as a passer-by, owned a garage and engaged in second-hand car trading, with the insurance payouts directed to one of his accounts. They intentionally staged 11 automobile accidents since 2019, defrauding insurance companies of over 900,000 yuan ($120,000).