In the previous decade, traffic accident scams were something we’re used to seeing in the news. These involve people deliberately getting themselves into traffic accidents in order to make false insurance claims or blackmail the victim. Recently, one instance of this scam has been caught on camera, or more specifically, a dashcam.
The footage was shared to the Facebook group Smartklang.news. It shows a man launching himself onto a car’s windshield, shortly after the car made a turn at a junction. Several people show up moments later, two of which appear to be helping the man, and another whipping out his phone, presumably to record the incident.
According to the Facebook post, when the driver in the incident said to wait for the police to arrive because he has a dashcam, everyone dispersed. Presumably this meant the “victim” as well as the “witnesses”. The post goes on to say that the police in the area have received reports of similar cases. As for where this instance occurred, the post claims that it’s after the third bridge heading to Kapar.
Scams like this were predominantly, though not exclusively, a thing in China. Referred to as Pengci, the name comes from an older scam where antique dealers would deliberately place counterfeit or defective products where they could be bumped into and broken, so that they can claim compensation from the victim. This, and the reemergence of the “basikal lajak” case in Johor, are examples of why getting a dashcam for your car is important.
(Source: Smartklang.news / Facebook via Paul Tan, NY Times)
