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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not want to just pay this

176 replies

Tututuna · 30/01/2019 10:04

We have had the police at the door saying a month ago DH hit a parked car and the person has a couple of witnesses.

Their car is very damaged and they are asking for the money to repair it but do not want to take it to court.

The thing is, DH swears blind he hasn't hit anything nor is there a mark on our car. Whilst the accident did happen near where we live, DH was away with work from around 8am through to the evening.

Annoyingly he hasn't asked who the witnesses were or what time they said it happened so I need to find that out but AIBU to think that firstly, if someone's car is damaged enough to need hundreds of pounds worth of repairs, DH would be aware he'd hit it and two there would be evidence on our car of an accident?

I know most people say this but I genuinely believe him that he isn't aware of any accident.

OP posts:
KarmaStar · 30/01/2019 10:59

Hi OP,I think you should contact your local police for verification of this as I am pretty certain this is a scam.

Original poster
Tututuna · 30/01/2019 11:01

I'm guessing the police won't tell me if I'm not one of the registered owners of the car (if it's genuine)? I'll have to get DH to ring when he can.

OP posts:
Dvg · 30/01/2019 11:01

Yeah i say phone the local police station as well as no police in my area do not do anything for this, they would say you have to go through insurance and then the insurance people chase it up. The police are too busy for stuff like this.

Original poster
Tututuna · 30/01/2019 11:02

I don't think they were asking for money at the door but said the person just wants paying for the damage and doesn't want to take it to court. Which I suppose you wouldn't with a scam!

OP posts:
Blue25654 · 30/01/2019 11:02

Similar to Shikah I had a fraudulent claim and had witnesses but insurers paid out “because it’s cheaper to pay out than fight”. DH had one where there was cctv evidence of his car being hit when parked and no one in the car, but insurers somehow made that his fault, refused to ask for the cctv as it was too much work for a small claim and paid out Confused. They complain about fraudulent claims but they actively encourage them Hmm

Original poster
Tututuna · 30/01/2019 11:06

Surely one of the first things you'd do is contact your insurance after contacting the police as well?

Can insurance companies find people from their number plate i.e. if the 'victim' gave their insurance provider our number plate would they be able to get enough info to write to us/our insurers from that?

OP posts:
Eanair · 30/01/2019 11:08

You (or your husband) could contact the police and ask for the crime reference number - say that he forgot to write it down when they visited last night.

anitagreen · 30/01/2019 11:09

Ah yes they would also of given you a crime Reference, usually the first few numbers I think are a few numbers or letters whatever then the date did he receive this?

daisypond · 30/01/2019 11:09

Are you a registered driver for the car? I would phone your local police and ask about the two "police" who turned up at your door. Yes, a number plate would be enough for an insurance company to track you down, I'm pretty sure.

Championthewonderhorseinvegas · 30/01/2019 11:13
Hmm

My first thoughts are it probably wasn’t the real Police and do you park the car outside your house as any scammers could have got your details that way?

caughtinanet · 30/01/2019 11:14

I don't think they were asking for money at the door but said the person just wants paying for the damage and doesn't want to take it to court

Why would it be taken to court? It's sounding even more dodgy, this would be dealt with by the insurers not the courts, surely the other driver would have already passed the details onto his insurer and your DH would have been contacted by his insurer via the number plate

sollyfromsurrey · 30/01/2019 11:18

Sounds like either not the police or the police who attended are actually friends of the 'victim' and decided to freak you into paying. I would follow up with the local police station. Ask if they sent people around and follow up that way.

Bahhhhhumbug · 30/01/2019 11:21

I would not contact your insurance company and l hope your dh didn't give your insurance details. Insurance companies aren't interested in who's in the right or wrong generally or taking the side of their own insured party and will often just pay put or call it a 50/50 claim whether its entirely one party's fault or not. It's often less money for them to do that and sadly that is often the bottom line.

HollowTalk · 30/01/2019 11:21

The fact is that you couldn't have an accident like that in an ordinary car without it damaging your car as well.

Did they say why they left it a month? Surely the witnesses would tell the owner at the time and he'd report it immediately so that he could get his car fixed?

Original poster
Tututuna · 30/01/2019 11:21

Yes, it's parked outside our house. I've asked him if he got a reference number or if they offered one at all and if they were in uniform.

OP posts:
Bahhhhhumbug · 30/01/2019 11:22

Pay out not put out sorry

Original poster
Tututuna · 30/01/2019 11:23

I think I will call the police first (if they gave a ref) and then if it's genuine maybe contact insurance to let them know.

If it wasn't genuine then I can leave it with the real police.

OP posts:
BlackCatSleeping · 30/01/2019 11:25

Wow, that sounds really dodgy.

Lemontwist · 30/01/2019 11:29

@Tututuna
^I've had this happen to me and it's infuriating having to pay for damage you haven't caused. It works both ways though and so we shouldn't be paying for something we haven't done.^
Sorry I didn't mean to imply I thought your DH was at fault, just pointing out the lack of response in my situation by the police. I'm surprised that they would get involved like this when in my situation they did precisely nothing!

SmokeHeadedThisWay · 30/01/2019 11:29

I'd ring your local police station and ask them to provide the names, stations and individual collar numbers of the officers who called at your home, plus the date and time and exact location of the alleged accident, and the name of the vehicle owner, plus vehicle details, photographs of the damage, his insurance company and the names and addresses of the witnesses so that you can provide that information to your insurers.

I bet they can't. Sounds like a scam to me.

TheFrendo · 30/01/2019 11:31

Sounds like a scam. The other party should make a claim through their insurer.

Why should you do anything?

thecatneuterer · 30/01/2019 11:31

An almost identical thing happened to me many years ago. Except I was contacted by my insurance company asking me to give details of the accident I'd been in. I hadn't been in one.

The accident apparently took place at the end of my road and they apparently took down my reg number and I drove off without stopping.

When I got details of the date and time I found I had luckily been in a meeting many miles away with lots of witnesses, but even that didn't stop it proceeding. I think what actually happened was there was an accident - they noted the make and colour of the car but not the reg, and then walked round the streets looking for it. In fact there was an identical car to mine that lived on the next street and I noticed it had damage so I think it was probably that one.

It took about six months of too-ing and fro-ing before the matter was resolved and it was all cleared off my insurance record. I had to be adamant that I wouldn't let anything be settled and they would have to prove their case in court (which I knew they of course couldn't do).

shallichangemyname · 30/01/2019 11:42

If DH has an iPhone then he may be able to retrospectively prove his whereabouts via Location Services or google maps.
Hopefully another poster will be along who knows about this!

DobbinsVeil · 30/01/2019 11:42

I don't think it's strictly a civil matter - it's a long the lines of leaving the scene of an accident I think. I know someone (honestly not me!) who hit a wall, which caused a brick to fall off. They drove off, but were contacted by the police as it had been witnessed. The person with the damaged wall accepted having the wall fixed which was done by the driver. But he was still prosecuted and found guilty and fined at magistrate's court.

newnameforthis7 · 30/01/2019 11:45

No stuff that. Unless there is evidence, they can do one.

I know someone who had a woman claim that his dog attacked her dog, and bit off half of one of his ears (spaniel, so longish ears.) Turned out HER dog was running down the public pathway - off the lead - and got on his 2 back legs, and put his head over this guy's gate. His dog jumped up and ripped off half this woman's dog's ear (so she claims.)

She supposedly called out to see if someone would come out of the house - the front door was 20 feet from the gate. No-one went as no-one heard. (The guy I know said he never heard anything.)

She went to the vet with her dog, and ended up with a £1100 vet bill .. (Hadn't insured her dog - idiot!) and 3 days later, she came back to his house and demanded he pay the bill.

He told her to piss off. There was not a scrap of evidence that his dog did it, there was no noise/barking/shouting (that he heard,) on the night she claims it happened, and there was no blood or fur, or anything of that nature.

Also, as I said, she had her dog running loose on a public footpath, and he went up to the gate and peered over it, so it was 100% her fault, even if his dog DID attack her dog.

She took him to the small claims court, and lost. No evidence. she wasted MONTHS of energy on it, and money (for solicitors and court fees,) and she STILL had to pay the £1100 vet bill!

So stand your ground @Tututuna if there is no evidence, there is no case. I also second the idea of contacting the police, as this may be a scam in the making.