Driver: Man Wanted To Be Hit For Insurance Claim
SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) — It was hard to tell the difference between a misunderstanding and intent to deceive for one Arden-area mom on Wednesday night. But when she saw a man on her back-up camera screen, she thought he was there for a reason.
"I thought that he was trying to get me to hit him," said Leila Steffens.
It was just after 8 p.m. on Wednesday. She and her niece made a stop at Walgreens to pick up a few things.
"We got back in the car put it in reverse I just happened to glance up into my little camera which I don't always look in and I saw something behind my van," she said.
She thought it was a case of water she had forgotten to load in the van. But when she looked closer she realized it was a person. She waited about 30 seconds, thinking he would move. When she honked her horn, he came around to the driver's side.
"And he said "Oh sorry, I was just tyin' my shoe' and walked away and I was thinkin' 'Right!'" She said.
Steffens couldn't understand why someone would wait behind a car for 30 seconds in the dark. She believes he had an agenda.
"So he could get some money or make an insurance claim or something," Steffen's said.
"If you shake someone down for money, it's a crime," said Nancy Kincaid, spokesperson for the California Department of Insurance. "If you file a claim against their insurance, fraudulently, that is insurance fraud and that is a felony in California."
Typically, people looking to make a dollar target senior citizens, distracted drivers and in Steffen's case - busy moms.
"Be aware if someone has followed you out of the parking lot or across the parking lot and suddenly you don't see them," Kincaid said.
Steffens reported the incident to Sacramento County Sheriff's Department but they told CBS13 that the act of trying to trick a driver isn't a crime.
Still, Steffens said she's happy she didn't hit the man and warns other drivers to keep their eyes peeled while backing up.
"Not everybody has a back up camera on their car and I could have easily ran him over," Steffens said.
If you suspect that you've been a victim of insurance fraud, call the California Department of Insurance at 800-927-4357. But Kincaid's best advice is to do what you can to protect yourself while driving.
"You've got to look around you not once but more than once and make sure that it's safe before you back out," Kincaid said.
