anyone heard of car crash scams in Orlando?

Ive just been told by someone who came back last month.

Apparently there's an increasing amount of tourists who have been victims of car crime. The gang will either follow you by car from a mall or restaurant and will then crash into your car to get you to stop.

Once you stop, they'll surround your car order you all out and steal everything you have including the car. Some of this has been done at gun or knife point

The lady I was speaking to was making it sound like it was epidemic out there???

Has anyone else heard anything like this?

I have heard of someone it happened to yes but as anywhere you travel including home you need to have your witts about you.

There have been several cases but I don't think it's an epidemic

There has been nothing on the news about an epidemic of this sort.

I haven't heard one news report on anything like this happening here in Central Florida. :unsure:

It's a relatively common thing in the UK, more of an insurance scam than anything else... not heard anything about it in Orlando but I guess it's a good thing to be aware of and consider what to do. I guess the thing to do is not panic and carry on to somewhere safe.

Years ago I heard about insurance scams where people would deliberately hit your car. Always lock your doors and keep your windows up. Always be aware of your surroundings.

Well I wonder if it was true what I read somewhere else? The poster said it happened to them in Orlando

Oh Brit, I'm not saying it didn't happen, or couldn't happen, or wouldn't happen... or anything of the sort. I'm just saying that if it is happening it's not making the nightly news. Usually, the news is pretty comprehensive about local crime, so I think if this were happening, especially at epidemic proportions, it would be on the news.

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Originally Posted by Tink

Oh Brit, I'm not saying it didn't happen, or couldn't happen, or wouldn't happen... or anything of the sort. I'm just saying that if it is happening it's not making the nightly news. Usually, the news is pretty comprehensive about local crime, so I think if this were happening, especially at epidemic proportions, it would be on the news.

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to be honest i thought when i read it that it was a bit 'staged' but took it on board for if i was ever in that situation. I wonder if it's an urban legend

Quote:

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Originally Posted by britchick

to be honest i thought when i read it that it was a bit 'staged' but took it on board for if i was ever in that situation. I wonder if it's an urban legend

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I can believe it happened. Certainly I've heard of people being followed to their cars in the mall and having stuff stolen from them. It's only one step further to imagine them following a car out of the car park. Kinda wonder if it'd be worth someone smashing up their own car but I guess if it's cheap or stolen :/