No TTC payout for fake accident Fender-bender prearranged 44 passengers in on scam, police say
BETSY POWELL CRIME REPORTER
A "minor" fender-bender between a rented truck and a TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) bus last month on Dawes Rd. was actually a staged accident involving 44 passengers who police say were all inside players in an elaborate insurance scam.
So far seven people have been charged, including four alleged "ringleaders," but all 44 could face charges after filing accident claims for the "usual" kinds of injuries linked to such scams, including "soft tissue, neck, back injuries, headaches, a lot of the typical subjective type of injury claims," Brian Leck, general legal counsel for the Toronto Transit Commission, said yesterday.
Police allege someone recruited two men to enlist people to get on the bus on Sept. 7 for $100. "The $100 was sort of the ante-up in a poker game. They get on with the potential down the road for a much greater financial benefit," said Detective Derek Young, the investigating officer who works out of 54 Division. The driver of the truck was also in on the con, police say.
"People at the Main Street station would have seen a large group of people forming and we believe the orchestrators of this would have been directing them to get on a certain bus," Young said. "We're asking witnesses at the station or other passengers to contact police."
The bus then travelled up Dawes Rd. and at 7:51 p.m. it stopped and was rear-ended by a rented U-Haul vehicle, Leck said. The damage to both vehicles "was basically non-existent, there's some minor scrapes to the back bumper of the bus, and maybe a little bit of scraping on the front of the U-Haul."
When the insurance claims started pouring in, "we took a position right from the outset that this was a phony accident." Because of that, the TTC did not make any payouts.
Fuelling suspicion was the high volume of passengers on the bus, Leck added. Normally there would be between 30 and 45 and on that Sunday evening there were up to 95 on board. "Not uncoincidentally, 40 or 45 people claimed to be injured, so that gives rise to certain inferences."
Nine people were taken to hospital.
Posted by 2002Z4CSS (Member # 1393) on :
You have these kind of people in Canada also! Posted by JohnS (Member # 1073) on :
quote:Originally posted by 2002Z4CSS: You have these kind of people in Canada also!
Looks like it!
A bunch of young people probably looking for a quick buck.
From the Star: "Facing numerous fraud-related charges are James Mark Allen, 37, of Gormley, who operates two injury rehabilitation centres called Centre for Accident and Injury Rehabilitation at 3443 Finch Ave. E. and 350 Rutherford Rd. in Brampton. Said Juma Issa, 22, of Toronto and Abdulkarim Karim Abdulkarim, 28, of Toronto and Donald Harris, 29 of Malton, are also charged with fraud."
Posted by Jim Mac (Member # 113) on :
Sadly, that's actually quite common here in NJ. We also have the scam where people wait to hear about a bus accident, then go to the scene and board the bus and act like they were injured.
Posted by FireChicken (Member # 2067) on :
I like it when they have investigating report shows that show people who are committing insurance fraud. Its sad that these people do so much to increase insurance premiums for the rest of us, but its pretty funny how stupid and overconfident they become, and when they get caught.
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