How to avoid scams when making a car accident injury claim

What is claim farming?

Despite being outlawed in Queensland from 2019, car crash scams that target vulnerable individuals seeking compensation for car accident injuries continue. Sometimes called ‘claim farming’, these scams generally involve the scammer approaching a person injured in a car accident and pressuring or harassing them into making a compensation claim.

The personal information of the potential claimant may then be on-sold to a solicitor or claims management service for a substantial fee, and that fee is passed onto the injured person making the claim. If you think you’ve been a victim of claim farming or want to make a car accident injury claim, you can contact Suncorp Insurance on 13 11 60 or make a claim online and our CTP Claims Concierge can provide you guidance and support with lodging your claim.

You can also seek assistance from the Motor Accident Injuries Commission (MAIC) on 1800 287 753 or by emailing maic@maic.qld.gov.au.

Make a personal injury claim

Who does claim farming?

Claim farmers are paid for the private information or the referral of the victims to a claims management service, so that they can manage their claim.

Claim farmers often imply or pretend that they act on behalf of a government agency or insurer to gain the trust of the car accident victims.

How to protect yourself

There are a few tips you can follow to avoid being involved in a car crash scam:

• Be wary of cold calls – always ask where the person is calling from and the reason for their call.
• Hang up if the call is for an unsolicited offer to help with lodging an injury claim.
• Look up the phone number of the caller to confirm that the caller is from the organisation they claim to represent.
• Be cautious when receiving unsolicited messages on social media.
• Scammers often make false promises – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Don’t be pressured to do anything and avoid providing personal details over the phone as this can put you at risk.
• Report any scam callers to the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC).

How claim farming negatively impacts car accident injury claims

Claim farming can lead to a variety of negative outcomes:

• Higher legal costs. The person claiming may end up paying for excessive legal fees, including the services of the claim farmer which could be disguised as disbursement costs.
• The person claiming might be induced to enter into inappropriate debt arrangements to pay for their legal fees.
• Personal information of the person claiming is shared without their knowledge or consent.
• Claim farmers also tend to drive up the average cost of injury claims, putting pressure on the CTP Insurance scheme. This drives up costs for CTP insurers, which could ultimately restrict choice and competition in Queensland for CTP insurance.

Putting an end to claim farming – claim directly with Suncorp Insurance

You can lodge a motor accident injury claim directly with the CTP Insurer.

You don’t need a lawyer to lodge a claim. In Queensland, law firms on a no win no fee basis can charge up to 50% of your compensation*. Dealing directly with Suncorp Insurance means you can be confident 100% of your compensation* will be paid to you.

Most car accident injury claims can be resolved quickly and easily dealing directly through the insurer – in FY23 direct CTP claims were resolved on average more than three times faster than represented claims.¹

As Queensland’s largest CTP insurer, Suncorp Insurance has a team of personal injury specialists that understand injury, and can work directly with you and your healthcare providers to ensure you receive personalised care and support.

Call Suncorp Insurance to start your claim

Read more:

• Injured in a car accident? You don't need a lawyer to claim
• What can I claim if I'm injured in a car accident?
• How to claim for a car accident injury

¹ Motor Accident Insurance Commission

*Your ‘compensation’ means your damages plus that part of your legal costs payable by the Insurer less the total of the applicable statutory refunds (e.g. to Medicare) and disbursements (e.g. fees for medical reports). If you deal directly with the insurer, you are not likely to have legal costs that may or may not be reimbursed by the insurer.

Insurance issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as Suncorp Insurance. Read the Product Disclosure Statement before buying this insurance. Go to suncorp.com.au for a copy. The Target Market Determination is also available.