Fake crashes cost insurers millions
Criminal gangs staging bogus crashes are cheating insurance companies out of more than £350 million every year, it has been claimed.
Detectives fear so-called "crash for cash" cons are becoming more common and sophisticated as crooks exploit lucrative scams carrying little risk.
The Metropolitan Police has set up a specialist unit, believed to be the first of its kind in the country, to tackle the problem.
Investigators are targeting fraudsters who spark collisions with innocent motorists as the first step in ripping off insurers.
They then cash in by billing companies up to £50,000 for bogus courtesy car hire, vehicle storage, personal injury claims and legal fees.
Detective Chief Inspector Nick Chalmers, of the force's traffic crime unit, said it is only a matter of time before someone is killed in a staged crash.
He added a recent report by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) suggested the cost of similar scams could be £350 million every year.
Detectives at the Met's traffic crime unit have started training frontline uniformed officers to watch out for the signs of a suspicious crash.
Telephone operators have also been warned of the scams and the force is aiming to send officers to every suspect incident.