Insurance Fraud Crackdown in Krasnoyarsk: Auto-Substitute Arrests and Staged Collisions

Law enforcement officers from the detective division, together with operatives from the special forces of the Russian Guard, detained an auto-substitute codenamed Nervny, who, alongside an accomplice, orchestrated a staged crash in Krasnoyarsk. The finding came through information from the Telegram channel Kras Mash, which has been monitoring evolving schemes in the region and alerting authorities to similar fraud attempts. The investigation is being conducted by the Main Directorate of the Krasnoyarsk Territory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as investigators piece together how two local residents, aged 31 and 21, parked an Opel Zafira and abruptly braked when the car behind failed to maintain a safe distance. The aim was to trigger a collision and create an insured incident that would yield a payout to the lawbreakers. The operation hints at a broader pattern of fraud that extends beyond a single incident. The authorities indicate that the insured event was carefully planned, with the Toyota Vitz driver who was following behind designated as the person responsible for the crash in line with the suspects’ scenario. Over the course of the inquiry, officers determined that Krasnoyarsk residents were involved in three additional similar accidents, all taking place at roundabouts where the assailants struck vehicles in the second lane as they prepared to exit. Across these episodes, the total damage reportedly surpassed 650,000 rubles, a figure that underscores the scale of audacity and premeditation involved in the scheme. The criminal complaint has been filed under Part 4 of Article 159.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which addresses fraud in the field of insurance. If convicted, the defendants could face a prison sentence of up to ten years, and authorities have already seized all vehicles involved in the fraud as part of the investigation. These steps reflect a broader effort by regional law enforcement to clamp down on auto-substitution fraud and protect insured parties from losses arising from orchestrated crashes. The case forms part of a growing pattern of white-collar crime tied to car ownership and insurance claims that has drawn attention from regional authorities and the public alike. In related developments, reports have surfaced that similar scams were uncovered in Moscow, where scammers allegedly collected more than 50 million rubles under the pretense of selling foreign cars, highlighting a wider landscape of insurance deception that spans multiple cities and jurisdictions. (Kras Mash Telegram)