Fake hit-and-run for insurance scam caught on security video, California officials say

Home security video and alert neighbors foiled a scheme to stage a fake hit-and-run crash for an insurance payout, California authorities reported.

The video, posted by the California Department of Insurance, shows a driver carefully position a vehicle in a residential intersection, then get out and walk away.

Seconds later, another vehicle slams into the abandoned vehicle, the video shows. The second driver exits and both drivers walk away.

Residents in the Los Angeles-area neighborhood told investigators that a woman walked over to the first vehicle after the crash and got in, the department said in a Jan. 24 news release.

When Ontario police arrived, she claimed to be the victim of a hit-and-run crash, the agency said.

Five people are now accused of staging the crash and filing a false insurance claim for up to $30,000, the department said. They are charged with felony insurance fraud.

The Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force investigated the case, the agency said.

If you think you have been a victim of a staged collision, call the department at 800-927-4357.

Ontario is about 35 miles east of Los Angeles.

This story was originally published January 25, 2024 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Fake hit-and-run for insurance scam caught on security video, California officials say."