What is this new scam that traps many motorists?
To the great misfortune of motorists, the imagination of criminals is inexhaustible. Scams aimed at attacking French people’s wallets have never been so numerous and it is increasingly difficult to discern the fake from the real. You may have recently received a phone call from Carglass, France Pare-Brise, Mondial Pare-Brise or A+ Glass to have your car’s windshield replaced. If so, there is a very good chance that it was a scam. For two years, windshield scams have multiplied throughout the country and more and more motorists are paying the price.
The technique is very well established: a person pretends to be an employee of one of the major specialists mentioned above and offers to change the windshield of your vehicle, even if it is still in good condition. To lure the customer, the interlocutor does not hesitate to pull out all the stops: reimbursement of the franchise, gift certificates, trips… everything is good to convince you. As he is a great lord, the crook, after asking you for a photocopy of the registration document and the vehicle insurance certificate, warns you that he will take care of all the procedures, in particular with your insurance company. ‘insurance.
To succeed, these fraudulent companies, in full expansion, will declare a false claim. For what ? Because there is no law stipulating that a windshield has a limited lifespan and there is no requirement to change it if it is not broken or cracked. For the insurance company to cover the injured customer’s bill, the repair must necessarily be passed off as a broken glass. This is where the motorist trapped by cold calling risks a lot. In fact, he is exposed to a sentence which could go up to 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of 375,000 euros for having committed an insurance scam despite himself.
It is then imperative to prove your good faith, knowing that the insurance company can also at any time deregister an insurer who has tried to defraud it. Another inconvenience caused by this scam which is on the rise, these fraudulent companies use low-cost windshields. Not saying that receiving gift certificates or discount vouchers compensates for driving with a poor quality windshield, which can be dangerous on the road.
To avoid being fooled, keep in mind that approved windshield companies, such as Carglass or France Pare-Brise, never practice cold calling. Rather useful information to avoid being scammed.