Two London men were sentenced after grossly exaggerating a minor accident in order to file a claim for personal injury and vehicle damage.
The men claimed that another driver hit the back of their vehicle at 30 to 40 miles per hour while they were stopped at a zebra crossing.
Allianz, the third party’s insurer, discovered significant discrepancies between their policyholder’s and the claimants’ accounts. The insurer referred the case to the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) for further investigation after an engineer’s report confirmed their suspicions.
On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, at Westminster Magistrates Court, the duo received the following sentences:
Niaz Mohammadi, 50, of Botwell Lane, Hayes, Hillingdon, was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for one year, and ordered to pay £1,372 in compensation, court costs, and a victim surcharge.
Raheem, 22, of Hyde Way, Hayes, Hillingdon, was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay £1,372 in compensation, court costs, and a victim surcharge.
Sajida Zaman, of the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED):
“Unfortunately, we see far too many cases of opportunistic fraudsters profiting from an honest accident.” Mohammadi went even further, making defamatory claims about the third party driver, claiming that he was driving drunk. He stuck to his story until the bitter end, only admitting his guilt when the case went to court.
“Unlike Mohammadi, Raheem, after being interviewed, accepted responsibility for his actions and cooperated with our investigation.” Raheem appears to have been taken in by Mohammadi’s enticing promise of quick, easy money and failed to consider that this enticing offer could land him with a criminal record. I hope he has learned from this experience and that he is not referred to IFED in the future.”
Allianz received an engineer’s report from an accident management company acting on Mohammadi’s behalf in March 2020. According to the report, Mohammadi’s Audi A3 sustained moderate damage to the rear after colliding with another vehicle. The vehicle was determined to be unroadworthy, and the loss was estimated to be £2,080.
Following the accident, Mohammadi and Raheem filed personal injury claims. Both men gave identical accounts of the incident, claiming that Mohammadi was driving and had stopped at a zebra crossing to allow pedestrians to cross, while Raheem was a passenger in his car. A Ford Transit van collided with the rear of the vehicle at high speed while waiting for the pedestrians to pass. The van driver, according to both, fled the scene.
The van driver informed Allianz that he had been in an accident with one of their policyholders. According to the third party, he was slowing his vehicle on the approach to a red traffic light when his foot slipped from the brake. This caused his van to accelerate and collide with Mohammadi’s Audi A3 at a speed of no more than three miles per hour. Mohammadi was the only person he saw in the car.
Mohammadi exited the vehicle and became abusive to the van driver, demanding his driver’s licence and then refusing to return it. Because of Mohammadi’s actions, the third party drove away from the scene after photographing the two vehicles. There was no visible damage to either vehicle in these photos.
After receiving these contradictory accounts, Allianz hired a forensic engineer to examine the extensive damage depicted in the photos from the accident management company’s report. The engineer confirmed that the pattern and dimensions of the Audi A3 damage were not consistent with a rear end collision from this type of van. The insurer referred the case to IFED after this was confirmed.
Officers from the unit first spoke with Raheem, who initially maintained the story he had provided with his claim. When shown photographs of the van driver’s vehicles, Raheem stated that he “needs to stop lying and tell the truth.” Raheem then admitted to being approached by Mohammadi, who told him he could make him some money and demanded his driver’s licence. He confirmed that he was not in the car at the time of the accident, but that he was contacted by a solicitor who directed him to the hospital. Raheem expressed regret for his actions and apologised for what he had done.
Mohammadi claimed during his interview that the van driver hit him at 30 to 40 miles per hour. He also claimed that the driver was unsteady on his feet and appeared to be drunk when he exited the vehicle, which is why he revoked his licence. Officers informed Mohammadi of Raheem’s confession and showed him the photos taken by the van driver. Despite this overwhelming evidence, Mohammadi maintained his account.
Allianz Commercial’s Head of Counter Fraud, James Burge, commented:
“Opportunistic fraudsters may believe they can gain financially by lying and exaggerating. When we notice inconsistencies, we launch an investigation to uncover them. We hope that these sentences deter would-be con artists.”
