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“Crash for cash” scams where fraudsters stage accidents to claim on other drivers’ insurance are at an all-time high, the BBC has learned. The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) estimates around 30,000 accidents were staged last year. The scams cost insurers about £350m in 2009 and added £44 to the premium of every driver in the country. Birmingham was the UK’s top fraud hot-spot and incidents rose in parts of London, the industry-funded body said. Until recently the claims were largely confined to north-west England, and the other four top spots for insurance fraud of this sort were filled by Liverpool, Blackburn, Manchester and Leeds. But the scam appears to be moving south, with parts of London in the top 10 for the first time. East London takes sixth position while north London is in ninth position. The fraudsters ensure an innocent motorist drives into the back of their vehicle by braking suddenly on a clear road or roundabout. Often they use the handbrake so there are no warning lights. More