Police arrest 4 in Hong Kong over ‘crash-for-cash’ scams

Police have arrested two doctors and a married couple for allegedly masterminding more than 20 “crash-for-cash” scams, with officers investigating over 100 suspicious cases in a fraud epidemic that has become the talk of Hong Kong.Police said on Wednesday that the three men and a woman were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud. The couple – the husband a taxi driver and the wife a nurse – are both 37, while the doctors are aged 56 and 69.Superintendent Charles Fung Pui-kei of the commercial crime bureau said officers were reviewing more than 100 suspicious traffic accident compensation cases, mostly referred by the insurance industry and the Federation of Insurers, as well as reports from the public.Authorities earlier said they had received reports of drivers facing sudden massive civil claims, long after police had closed traffic cases – some involving a minor bump or even no collision.The claims typically covered legal fees, medical expenses, loss of income, vehicle repairs and other miscellaneous costs.Investigations revealed the couple were linked to 22 cases over the past four to five years. Claims for some cases are still being processed.They allegedly posed as drivers, passengers in taxis and cars or pedestrians in minor traffic incidents, often reporting neck or minor injuries before filing civil claims against other motorists and insurers. The largest single claim exceeded HK$300,000.