Two people have been ordered to pay thousands of pounds in damages to Direct Line for their part in a crash for cash scam involving 29 people.
Wales Online reports Cardiff residents Amir Hassan Ghaemkhah and Samanen Bojnardifard have been ordered to split a portion of the £150,000 now owed to Direct Line as punishment for their deception. The High Court in London heard no members of the gang were prosecuted however, due to a lack of police resources.
Investigators for the insurer became suspicious of claims when several featured one or more of the same five car hire or claims management firms based in north London. The nine crashes identified as part of the scam occurred between 2010 and 2011.
Ghaemkhah and Bojnardifard claimed they suffered injuries and damage to their car in 2011 when a woman hit them from behind in a slip road. Investigators discovered the woman’s car was in an undriveable condition prior the crash, and everyone involved was in communication to verify their stories in advance. Photographs on Ghaemkhah’s phone also showed his car was damaged before the crash.
Between them, Ghaemkhah and Bojnardifard will have to pay £9,000 towards the total owed to Direct Line, in addition to repaying the £3,395 Ghaemkhah received for the claim.
The judge overseeing the case criticised the culture of faked car insurance claims, describing it as a ‘scourge’ that left ‘law-abiding motorists’ to pick up the bill.
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