Deliberate crash scams are spreading across California, with organized groups staging collisions to claim insurance payouts. State authorities are warning drivers to watch for suspicious incidents involving rideshare vehicles, a growing target for fraud rings.
The California Department of Insurance said on November 21st that five people — Ledonte Pope (30), Khalil Davis (27), Clydell Moses (24), John Murillo (37), and Feratte Nixon (26) — received county-jail sentences and probation after being arrested on auto-insurance fraud charges. The group is accused of staging a deliberate crash on November 23 last year on the I-215 Freeway in San Bernardino and then claiming injuries to obtain insurance benefits.
According to the department, Pope and Davis were riding in a rideshare vehicle when their accomplice Murillo struck it with another car. After the collision, the passengers claimed injuries and were taken to a hospital. The driver said the crash “seemed to be staged,” leading to further investigation.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported the incident to the Inland Empire Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force (IEAIFTF). Investigators later found that one of the suspects riding in the rideshare vehicle was the registered owner of the vehicle used to cause the collision…