May 10, 2010—The number of staged car accidents and questionable car insurance claims is up 46 percent between 2007 and 2009, according to a study release_notesd Monday by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

The report listed the top five states that generated the most staged accidents and questionable claims, including the number of claims:
• Florida, 3,006
• New York, 1,680
• California, 1,619
• Texas, 792
• Illinois, 433

And within those five states, the top five cities with the most questionable claims are:
• New York City, 1,304
• Tampa, 562
• Miami, 511
• Orlando, 422
• Houston, 376

Staged accidents target innocent drivers and defraud insurance companies out of millions of dollars, according to the NICB, and unless someone becomes suspicious, many of these staged accidents go undetected.

NICB created a series of videos demonstrating some of the most common types of staged accidents. Those can be viewed, along with the entire report, at nicb.org.