New South Wales police have charged a Sydney man over allegations he orchestrated a series of planned vehicle collisions to secure insurance payouts.
According to 9News, authorities claim the 66-year-old – from Lakemba – was linked to 16 separate incidents involving 45 vehicles over a three-year span in the Canterbury Bankstown region.
Investigators allege that false identities were used to purchase third-party insurance for a vehicle, which would then be deliberately involved in crashes with parked cars.
Insurers reportedly paid out a total of $390,480 in claims linked to the incidents.
The man was arrested at Sydney Airport and taken to Mascot Police Station, where he was charged with two counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.
He was granted conditional bail and is due to appear at Bankstown Local Court.
The ICA attributes the increases to a combination of higher repair costs, supply chain issues, and labour shortages, which have driven up claims expenses.
Fraudulent claims, such as staged accidents and exaggerated damage reports, remain a notable expense, with the ICA estimating they cost the industry $560 million in the past year.
In a survey of more than 3,000 drivers, 6.8% admitted to providing incorrect information on their applications.
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