Thousands of innocent motorists are unwittingly involved in 'crash for cash' scams every year, data compiled by insurer LV= has revealed.

According to the organisation, there have been more than 300,000 people involved in staged accidents on the UK's roads over the last five years, with a growing number of individuals involved in so called 'flash crash' scams.

This involves drivers being invited to merge from a junction onto a major road, but as they do so the fraudster speeds up and causes a collision. Overall, one in 30 road users are believed to have been involved in this type of fraud during 2013.

John O'Roarke, managing director of LV= car insurance, commented: "Fraud is not a victim-less crime and the cost of paying fraudulent claims drives up the cost of car insurance for all."

He added this type of illegal activity not only puts the lives of innocent members of the public at risk, but figures from the Insurance Fraud Bureau also show it costs the insurance industry up to £392 million a year.

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Posted by Clare Lafferty, Account Manager, The Fuelcard People.