Dash cam footage is said to show the moment a trio of would-be fraudsters reverse a car – apparently to pretend they've been rear-ended.
The video shows the vehicle – driven by the alleged crooks – making its way along New York's Belt Parkway in Queens before swerving in front of and narrowly missing the car of the dashcam driver, Ashipa Natasha.
After Natasha pumped the breaks, the silver car also stopped in front of her vehicle and then quickly reversed back into Natasha's car.
“Oh my God, what is he doing?” she asked in the clip.
Natasha was on speakerphone with her husband and told him, “I just had an accident; I don't know what's going on. This guy just turned into me, what the hell is going on?'
Natasha was on speakerphone with her husband and told him, “I just had an accident; I don't know what's going on. This guy just turned into me, what the hell is going on?
She wrote in her post: “The silver Honda was in the middle lane they cut me off and hit the brakes coming to a complete stop hoping I would hit them. I didn't hit their car and because of that they reversed into my car for a collision.
Natasha claims the two back seat passengers used a tarp to cover the rear windscreen so the driver could switch places with the female passenger.
Four passengers then exited the car holding their heads and acting as if they were injured as they examined the damage to their car's bumper.
Natasha said: “I believe the intention was to say I hit their car for insurance fraud.”
The one passenger who left the car on the driver's side started recording both cars. The other passenger also began documenting the crash and taking pictures of Natasha's license plate.
“They got out of the car with only their phones ready to record the damage to both cars. They quickly claimed my insurance and quickly left after the exchange,” said Ashipa Natasha
A red Kia had pulled up in front of the silver car and picked up the suspect driver before driving off.
Natasha said she remembers the behavior of the other passengers changing after they noticed her camera.
“They got out of the car with only their phones ready to record the damage to both cars. They quickly claimed my insurance and quickly left after the exchange,” she wrote.
The passenger spoke to Natasha and explained that his wife was driving and did not speak English.
Natasha added in a follow-up video: “They quickly changed my license and insurance and registration and everything so I didn't think anything of it.”
Natasha had asked the other passengers to wait until her husband showed up, but they said they had to leave “immediately to go get their baby”.
When a tow truck showed up to check on Natasha's car, the other passengers took the chance to get back into their vehicle and leave.
“I'm not really sure if they targeted me because of my car or if they saw me driving alone,” she said.
“They didn't really follow me for a long time. It all seemed to happen very quickly. It definitely seemed like this had been planned for a while. It's definitely not their first time,” she added.
It wasn't until Natasha re-watched the video that she noticed the “set-up” or change in drivers as she was driving alone and “it all happened so fast”.
The video shows the vehicle – driven by the alleged crooks – making its way along New York's Belt Parkway in Queens before swerving in front of and narrowly missing the car of the dashcam driver, Ashipa Natasha
Natasha posted three videos of the incident, showing the dash cam she was using in her car, as well as the rear camera footage showing the red Kia following behind her.
Comments on her post were in full support of her, with one writing: “Absolutely press charges. They WILL do this again. Thank god you have a camera
“As everyone has said, FILE CHARGES‼️‼️this is such an old trick and they were literally caught on your camera,” wrote another.
Keen observers also noted how the incident appeared to have been orchestrated. One X user said: “The red Kia was a buffer to slow down traffic so your car doesn't hit another car so THEY aren't responsible for a pileup. THIS IS WILD.
Many viewers urged others to invest in a dash cam too, with another adding: 'Insurance adjustment going on here: this happens very often to people driving higher end vehicles. If you have a luxury vehicle (any make) you DEFINITELY need a dash cam!!'
According to the New York State Motor Vehicle Theft and Insurance Fraud Prevention Council, in 2020 insurance carriers reported 24,238 cases of suspected motor vehicle insurance fraud.