Because of the economic situation in our world today many vehicle owners are turning to drastic measures regarding money. There are now occurring many car arsons because their owners are fraudulently setting fire to their vehicles in order to collect the insurance money and have their debt removed.
Statistically it is shown that when the economy goes down the trend of arson arises. Then when the economy is positive again the number of vehicle levels off to almost nothing. Car owners turn to the crime of arson when they become desperate to make their next car payment. Some people are willing to burn their car and risk being arrested causing a criminal conviction for a quick payout.
It seems strange to most of us as to why a person would choose to destroy their car just to collect insurance money instead of simply putting it up for sale to help reduce the amount of their debt. In many of these situations, however, the car owner owes more than the actual worth of the vehicle and would still be in debt if the car was sold.
Arson investigators have more tools to investigate with than they used to. It is known that a thief will try to burn a vehicle just enough to remove incriminating evidence. Auto owners, on the other hand, will make sure their car is totaled by the fire so they can receive the full amount of insurance money. When investigators find traces of accelerants like gasoline they know that whoever set the fire wanted to destroy the vehicle which would lead them back to the owner.
Many states now have put together specific task forces to deal with the high number of vehicle insurance fraud cases. It has been found that there are networks of criminals that will work with the individual vehicle owner to coordinate a time to steal and torch the vehicle for a cut of the insurance money. This means that the problem is much deeper than one individual looking to erase their debt. These types of crimes are called fraud-for-hire cases and are on the rise across the country.
Committing insurance fraud and arson is very dangerous. An offender could be sent to prison and have to pay large fines. If you’re in a situation where you can’t afford the monthly bills for your vehicle, it is important that you talk to your bank or your lender about a small personal loan. Then you can try to sell your car legally. Arson and fraud cases are thoroughly investigated by highly trained insurance claims representatives and also police investigators. It is not worth the embarrassment and pain you could cause yourself by committing a crime over money owed.
Otto Ingrid is an enthusiast of automobiles alike. He is determined to provide everyone with loads of information about auto insurance. If you’d like to find out more about this topic, please visit Mortgage Information or Central Mortgage and find out everything you want to know.