Scammers will stage automobile accidents in many ways, such as slamming on their brakes while driving in front of you without giving you an opportunity to stop, causing you to hit them from behind.  Generally, the scammers will have phony witnesses to bolster their case.  Sometimes they are willing to settle with you for cash rather than involve your insurance company, but other times they are looking to defraud your insurance company.

TIP

If you are involved in an automobile accident, call the police.  When you exchange license and registration information, be careful not to provide more information than necessary to protect yourself from identity theft.  Report all accidents to your insurance company and make sure that you get the license and registration of the other driver.  Make sure you see the actual license and registration rather than just take the information provided by the other driver.