All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players; especially on our roadways.
On Oct. 16, a quartet of eager thespians we’ll call the “Silver Accord Players” appear to present a production of “Swoop and Squat” on New York City’s Belt Parkway. Cast as the unsuspecting lead is Ashpia Natasha, driver of an SUV.
The performance begins with the star – a silver Honda – cutting in front of Natasha’s SUV and slamming to a stop in what appears to be a bid to brake-check her and cause an accident. The driver then reverses forcefully into the SUV, which is Natasha’s cue to scream while on a phone call “Oh my God, what is he doing? I just got in an accident; I don’t know what’s happening. This guy just reversed into me, what the hell is going on?”
She’s about to find out. The backseat passengers cover the back window so, according to Natasha, the driver could switch seats with the passenger. The Silver Accord Players struggle from their vehicle clutching their heads and doubling over. A red Kia stops ahead of them. The Accord’s driver gets inside and it drives away. At this point in a typical production of the “Swoop and Squat,” the remaining actors would get ready to make a false insurance claim or extort money from their hapless victim. It would be Oscar time.
But there’s a twist. The SUV’s dashcam has filmed the entire incident. The expression on the face of Silver Accord Players’ leading man “Unshaven Reverse Baseball Cap Guy” appears to drop, possibly thinking the scam has been spoiled. The cast gives their information and drives off. It appears Natasha has been saved by her dashcam. She posts her accident video on TikTok and got 66 million views.
Thus ends another performance of “Staged Collision Theatre,” an action-packed variety of automobile insurance fraud, a type of crime that costs Canadian drivers $1.6-billion, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).
While none of the Silver Accord Players have been charged. The NYPD Criminal Enterprise Investigation Unit’s Fraudulent Collision Investigation Squad is investigating. Most right-thinking people and Natasha allege they were attempting to pull off a scam. “I believe the intention was to say I hit their car for insurance fraud purposes,” says Natasha, whose SUV required US$8,000 in repair.
Staged accidents are almost always committed by complex criminal rings, which vary in size and are often controlled by one individual, according to Nicholas Zeitlinger, a public affairs specialist with the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). The Illinois-based non-profit is dedicated to fighting insurance fraud and crime.
“Wealthier urban areas are most at risk due to the volume of vehicles that criminals know tend to be well-insured,” he says. “Criminals are also looking for the simple cover of these incidents appearing to just be ‘an accident.’”
Staged collisions involve two or more vehicles and rely on highway case law – in which one driver is unquestionably at fault – to rope a victim. In almost every jurisdiction, when a vehicle hits the back of another, the rear driver is found to be at fault, as they should have been able to stop in time if they had been driving properly. That was the case law the Silver Accord Players were likely counting on to scam Natasha and the insurance companies.
Collisions can be orchestrated with all parties knowingly participating. In 2024, five scammers in California were arrested after staging a fake crash and filing an insurance claim for a payout of more than $30,000. Surveillance video shows one fraudster parking a vehicle in the middle of an intersection and exiting the car. Next, a second crook crashes into the vacated vehicle. Both flee.
Other staged accidents target innocent drivers. These require the scammers to stage a real collision in which an innocent driver is liable. Think of it as a play in which one of the actors thinks it’s real.
The endgame is to make a false insurance claim and possibly extort money from the victim. These scammers are not amateurs, and they pay attention to detail. Three of those who hit Natasha’s SUV, for instance, wore yellow; both women wore yellow tops, and the central male wore a black sweatshirt with a yellow illustration. Without the dashcam, identifying them to police would have been difficult.
The best way to avoid being victimized is to avoid tailgating, maintain situational awareness and buy a dash camera. Here are a few popular “scripts” which fraudsters have perfected over the years, according to the NICB:
The Left Turn Drive Down
You are at an intersection waiting to turn left. An oncoming driver waves you on to make your turn even though they have the right of way. As you turn the driver pulls ahead and blocks your path causing a collision. They claim you are at fault. A wrinkle on this script has the oncoming driver merely blocking the lane while a second car approaches and collides into the side of your vehicle. The first car drives away. The driver of the second car and its occupants all claim you made an illegal left turn and caused the accident.
The Backup
You are backing out of a parking space. A scammer, who appears to be waiting to occupy the space, waves you out. As you back out, they pull forward causing you to strike them. They claim you caused the accident.
The Swoop and Squat
As you drive, the “Squat” vehicle pulls in front of your car. The “Swoop” vehicle then positions itself in front of the Squat and suddenly slows, causing you to collide into the rear of the Squat. The Swoop drives away and you are left responsible for a rear-end collision. A “Highway Swoop and Squat” has an additional vehicle which pulls up alongside your car, to prevent you from changing lanes. The scammers who targeted Natasha appear to have executed a variation, in which the Squat car was supposed to cause a rear-end collision and the Swoop car arrive immediately afterward to act as a false witness. The dashcam appears to have foiled their plans.
After these scams have been played, witnesses and tow trucks often appear at the scene. These are known as “cappers” and “runners” and are part of the con. They will direct victims to disreputable doctors, rehab centres, lawyers and automobile repair shops. You should steer clear of any tow trucks that you or law enforcement did not call for service.
Keep these in mind. Staged collision theatre is one performance in which you don’t want to play a part.