Dash cam video of Belt Parkway crash captures alleged insurance scammers reversing into car
QUEENS (WABC) -- A woman is warning other drivers after her dash camera apparently foiled an attempted car insurance scam on the Belt Parkway in Queens.
Asphia Natasha was driving on the busy highway Wednesday morning when another car cut her off and caused her to slam on the brakes.
She narrowly missed hitting the car, but the other driver then put the car into reverse, stepped on the gas, and crashed into Natasha's vehicle.
"I just proceeded to treat it like an accident. You know, I asked them if they were okay. We were able to exchange information. The guy in the video, he told me that the female was the driver and she doesn't speak any English," Natasha said.
But in the incident video, the backseat passengers can be seen trying to put a covering on the back window as the driver climbs over into the front passenger seat before getting out of the car and pretending to be injured.
Everyone who was in the car then got out and started to take pictures and videos of the damage.
"They were rushing to leave. They were like, well, we have to go. We have to go pick up our baby. And so basically when I turned around to go check on the car, they just, like, got in their car and left," Natasha said.
After watching the footage they believe they were being scammed.
"Taking the videos to the police, they pretty definitively say that they've seen similar scams like this," Hudson Kuang, Natasha's partner, said.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, fraudulent automobile accidents occur more frequently in urban areas where there is a greater volume of vehicles and criminals prey upon women driving alone.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
