Just when you think you know about all the scams going on, a new one pops up.
You never know what people will come up with to try to take another person’s hard-earned money. In Duvall County, Florida, residents are being warned of a scam that involves their vehicles and windshields.
According to several people who called News4Jax, some people are going door to door to try to get residents to give them their insurance information, so they can have their windshields repaired.
Most of the windshields did not appear to be damaged, and the people have no credentials.
One resident named Jesse said:
“He said he was inspecting people’s windshields for cracks and stuff from the construction on 295. There was nothing specific but he was pointing them out saying, ‘Yeah, you got a little something here.'”
The idea behind the scam is that the people get the residents to give up their insurance information and tell them they are going to turn in a claim for a small scratch or crack but actually make a fake claim saying there is more damage.
They keep the money left over and usually don’t even make the repairs on the windshield.
They can also use the insurance claim to run up other charges and even claim that the vehicle was in an accident and needs a lot more repairs. This, in turn, causes the victim’s insurance rates to increase and can cause a lot of chaos and frustration.
“He was trying to find out if I had full coverage or not,” Jesse added.
The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud explained the scam further:
“Scammers will convince drivers to replace perfectly good windshield and then lie to the insurance company about unnecessary damages and repairs. Or crooks will see that a windshield has a nick in it and lie to the insurance company saying that several costly repairs are needed when the windshield could have been repaired at little cost. In some instances, if given your insurance information, some con artists will charge a victim’s auto policy for several damages without the victim being aware of it.”
News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith released the warning to residents.
Although many residents are not falling for it, there are some who could become victims. He said:
“If you do have a damaged windshield you should contact your insurance company first, and only go with a vendor that your insurance company recommends. Otherwise the insurance company may not even pay for it if you go out and get it done on your own.”
Always be alert and aware that scams do happen. If something doesn’t seem right, trust your instincts and report it. There are thousands of different scams, and although some may seem crazy, people still fall for them. Hopefully, warnings like this will help protect people from becoming victims.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
