Did I just get scammed for 400$ ?

[Splurgenxs]

Desperate cop , could be much worse for him, paperwork? demerits? suspension from service?
not sure if was looking to scam.

I knew a Pakistani cab driver that had this happen to him , not from a cop though,
In this case the woman who hit him from behind had insurance and he didn't .

He tried to persuade her to settle it with coincidentally the same amount of money.
She refused . and with no insurance , he couldn't afford to get it fixed and the car had to be written off as a total loss.

Only positive that came out from him that he did not get any demerit points on his insurance history. Which would have been years long insurance premium hikes.

 

[Clutch]

So today I was coming home, it was raining a little bit so roads were bit slippery, At an exit I gave the indicator and a car from behind hit back of my car, and my car spin 3 times before going off road to grass, because of rain the Grass with water (I think) save me and my car from flipping over, I came out side quickly to check on other drive to make sure they are ok, a cop showed up and he ask us if we both are ok and need any medical attention, I was just panic and shocked and processing the situation cause this is the first time I was dealing with a accident and Cop, Cop asked us both to get our Registration and license, I get it but cop ask us if we don't want to file a report than we can go through insurance or settle it among us, he help push my car out of grass and he was on his way. The Guy and I was talking about and he said if I pay him cash than there is no need for insurance companies to get involved, he told me that would take my insurance go up and I had a 500 deductible which I would have to pay anyway, so he asked for money and I ended up giving him 400$ through cash app, my car was not damage just Rubbed off, his fender was damage and bumper was damage to and Rubbed as well. When I get home my room mates told me that I should not have done that, he did took Pics of my License and registration but upon transaction he did delete and he went on his way, now after talking to my friends they told me that I should've filed the report and he probably did not have insurance.

What I don't understand that I told cop that I am new here and this is first time dealing with this kind of situation and yet Cop did not seems to be helpful, he just bailout super quick. Now my friends told me that, guy can still file a claim from Insurance although there was no police report done so Is it possible ? they also told me he can try recover picture from deleted Pics but if there is no report can he do that ? I hope he do not do anything because I paid him because I thought it's easier and more reliable way as even the cop suggested that before he left.

Did I make a Mistake ?
What can I do better next time ?
If the guy try to do anything else what else I can do ?


@gambit @F-22Raptor @Hamartia Antidote @SQ8 @KAL-EL @JamD

If you get hit from the back it's automatically his fault not yours. Even if you brack and and rear ended.

 

[jhungary]

He wasnt scamming you. He saw his moment and went on the offence. He probably didnt think it would work. But I guess this one goes to him. But as everyone is saying, live and learn. $400 isnt too bad. Next time someone hits you from behind put your one hand on your neck and the other to dial 911.

That is what I said to all my relative.

When you get in a MTA, you call the cops and said you are trap in the car, they will come as quickly as they can and get the whole cavalry with them when they got here.

I know it's a bit cliché, but as a cop, I kind of know Cops don't like to do stuff unless it is on the record. I myself have had many times turn off my camera (before we had body cam we have dash cam in our squad car) so we don't need to write report on it, this shit wouldn't fly now but work perfectly in the past...

 

[Goritoes]

As @gambit said, he can take your $400 and then still claim your insurance as he has all the document and evidence (He have your DL number, Registration number and on scene photograph, are you sure those were deleted, did you see him delete it or he just tell you he will? On the other hand, it depends on how far you are willing to go, you can report an accident after the fact and get a case number that way, but if he claim you again, lacking of a written agreement, you probably cannot proof that you pay him money, you have mentioned you pay him with cash app, can that be traced or do you have any kind of record?

He was nice for most of the part, he wasn't aggressive or acting that he is after money, he was polite and yes he literally deleted those very blurry pics he took, i saw them all deleted but he can retrieve them, but i hope he does not do anything else. I just want this thing to over, and him not trying any more trick or anything. An accident happen, my fault or his, Thank God none of us were injured and our cars did not get heavy damage, his car get Fender damage and bumper damage. I pay him from cash app, it remains in Cashapp and I think Cashapp also send an email of confirmation. I am not looking to get my money back, I just don't want him to try going after more claims that's all .

 

[jhungary]

Desperate cop , could be much worse for him, not sure if was looking to scam.

i knew a Pakistani cab driver that had this happen to him , not from a cop though,
In this case the woman who hit him from behind had insurance and he didn't .

He tried to persuade her to settle it with coincidentally the same amount of money.
She refused . and with no insurance , he couldn't afford to get it fixed and the car had to be written off as a total loss.

Only positive that came out from him that he did not get any demerit points on his insurance history. Which would have been years long insurance premium hikes.

Don't think the cop took him $400 buck, the guy hit his car did.....

Probably listen to your wife bro, you are advising as an 11 year cop without even knowing his state and insurance details.
Just let him move on than throwing your possibly irrelevant knowledge and experience at him.

Well, consider my advice is to go to the cop and file a report and ask for a lawyer, I didn't actually give him any advice......other than I think that he is at fault.

By the way, I think he stated he was in FL.

 

[Goritoes]

He wasnt scamming you. He saw his moment and went on the offence. He probably didnt think it would work. But I guess this one goes to him. But as everyone is saying, live and learn. $400 isnt too bad. Next time someone hits you from behind put your one hand on your neck and the other to dial 911.

Honestly I was more worried about the other guy, once I check myself to be alive. I understand now what happen and It happen because I was lost, confused and because it was my first ever accident in life, in USA where i recently moved so I was just (?) confused. Everything happen quick and then Cop left quickly as well, all this time I was worried about his well being rather than mine.

By the way, I think he stated he was in FL.

Yes I am in Florida/Tampa

 

[jhungary]

He was nice for most of the part, he wasn't aggressive or acting that he is after money, he was polite and yes he literally deleted those very blurry pics he took, i saw them all deleted but he can retrieve them, but i hope he does not do anything else. I just want this thing to over, and him not trying any more trick or anything. An accident happen, my fault or his, Thank God none of us were injured and our cars did not get heavy damage, his car get Fender damage and bumper damage. I pay him from cash app, it remains in Cashapp and I think Cashapp also send an email of confirmation. I am not looking to get my money back, I just don't want him to try going after more claims that's all .

Well, let's hope not.

Just in case, I would back up the cashapp transaction in case he try something crazy, as I said, at this point, if I were you, I will go to the cop and report the accident and then ask a lawyer what you should do. This is what I would do.

Go to the cop and they will write a full report on the incident. Then show them you have pay him $400 and the cash apps transaction, once everything is on the record, even if he try to claim your insurance, all you need is to show your insurance company that report with those record and that should be more than enough to have that work out.

If not, you are probably just gaming with the fact that he wouldn't do anything, and if he does, it will be kind of too late to get a report on file. So I would suggest for you to go to your local PD, and file a MTA report as soon as possible. This is nothing criminal, more like an official record that give you a peace of mind.

 

[Goritoes]

That really depends if he have what we called a "Call Out Log"

If he was called to the scene, then yes, he would have to follow up, but if he just passed by, and nobody call the cops, which mean there are no record, and that mean the cop didn't need to do anything as there are no case on file.......

Yes, we are this lazy...............

Well I didn't call cop, he didn't either, and there was no one else around or stopped. So I would take that he was passing by, I saw cops on that road often as there is a big hotel/Casino on one side and State ground on other , so there is always some stuff happening there, and police is there.. Plus I hate those road working trucks with blinking lights, I understand they help but they can block your vision as well bro.

Well, let's hope not.

Just in case, I would back up the cashapp transaction in case he try something crazy, as I said, at this point, if I were you, I will go to the cop and report the accident and then ask a lawyer what you should do. This is what I would do.

But what should I tell cops ? Plus will it matter that I have South Carolina License/ plate/registration and driving in Florida for about 2-3 Months ? Plus wouldn't lawyer cost a lot of money ?

 

[Goritoes]

Well, let's hope not.

Just in case, I would back up the cashapp transaction in case he try something crazy, as I said, at this point, if I were you, I will go to the cop and report the accident and then ask a lawyer what you should do. This is what I would do.

Go to the cop and they will write a full report on the incident. Then show them you have pay him $400 and the cash apps transaction, once everything is on the record, even if he try to claim your insurance, all you need is to show your insurance company that report with those record and that should be more than enough to have that work out.

If not, you are probably just gaming with the fact that he wouldn't do anything, and if he does, it will be kind of too late to get a report on file. So I would suggest for you to go to your local PD, and file a MTA report as soon as possible. This is nothing criminal, more like an official record that give you a peace of mind.

Are police stations opened 24/7 ? its 2:30 am would it be open right now ? now you have said it I wont be able to sleep unless i am have that peace of mind,

 

[TheSnakeEatingMarkhur]

So today I was coming home, it was raining a little bit so roads were bit slippery, At an exit I gave the indicator and a car from behind hit back of my car, and my car spin 3 times before going off road to grass, because of rain the Grass with water (I think) save me and my car from flipping over, I came out side quickly to check on other drive to make sure they are ok, a cop showed up and he ask us if we both are ok and need any medical attention, I was just panic and shocked and processing the situation cause this is the first time I was dealing with a accident and Cop, Cop asked us both to get our Registration and license, I get it but cop ask us if we don't want to file a report than we can go through insurance or settle it among us, he help push my car out of grass and he was on his way. The Guy and I was talking about and he said if I pay him cash than there is no need for insurance companies to get involved, he told me that would take my insurance go up and I had a 500 deductible which I would have to pay anyway, so he asked for money and I ended up giving him 400$ through cash app, my car was not damage just Rubbed off, his fender was damage and bumper was damage to and Rubbed as well. When I get home my room mates told me that I should not have done that, he did took Pics of my License and registration but upon transaction he did delete and he went on his way, now after talking to my friends they told me that I should've filed the report and he probably did not have insurance.

What I don't understand that I told cop that I am new here and this is first time dealing with this kind of situation and yet Cop did not seems to be helpful, he just bailout super quick. Now my friends told me that, guy can still file a claim from Insurance although there was no police report done so Is it possible ? they also told me he can try recover picture from deleted Pics but if there is no report can he do that ? I hope he do not do anything because I paid him because I thought it's easier and more reliable way as even the cop suggested that before he left.

Did I make a Mistake ?
What can I do better next time ?
If the guy try to do anything else what else I can do ?


@gambit @F-22Raptor @Hamartia Antidote @SQ8 @KAL-EL @JamD

He rear ended your car so it is his fault (if laws are same there). Find nearest police station and ask them. Tell that that you have been scammed by the guy and he scared you and made you pay when it was his mistake.

 

[TheSnakeEatingMarkhur]

I did not want to disturb them, thought they would be sleeping cause my shift at work changes.


I did not know that, I knew that I made the wrong decision but I got Panicked and I was in total shock.


Cop wasn't helpful, he just offer to call for Ambulance and left. He did not see my License or registration and I can bet he didn't check his as well.
My back bumper was hit from behind that makes my car spin like three times, and I gave indicator as well and he did not have any car behind him so he could have slowed down.

You can go to police and tell them that this guy hit your car from back and than tried to scare you to get money.

 

[Goritoes]

Can anyone tell me if Police stations are open 24/7?

 

[gambit]

He was nice for most of the part, he wasn't aggressive or acting that he is after money, he was polite and yes he literally deleted those very blurry pics he took, i saw them all deleted but he can retrieve them, but i hope he does not do anything else. I just want this thing to over, and him not trying any more trick or anything. An accident happen, my fault or his, Thank God none of us were injured and our cars did not get heavy damage, his car get Fender damage and bumper damage. I pay him from cash app, it remains in Cashapp and I think Cashapp also send an email of confirmation. I am not looking to get my money back, I just don't want him to try going after more claims that's all .

You paid him, which implied you were at fault which mean you paid to repair his damages. That is not how it supposed to work.

This is assuming a 'no fault' state.

Let us say that both cars suffered several thousands of damages. Your insurance company will pay to repair your car. The other insurance company will pay to repair the Other Guy's car. The goal is to get both cars running again as soon as possible.

But in this case, somehow you were convinced to bypass the insurance companies and paid him. You could have used that $400 to repair your own car, and he could have used his money to repair his car. But somehow he convinced you to pay him, so now you are out $400 plus whatever to repair your car.

 

[jhungary]

Well I didn't call cop, he didn't either, and there was no one else around or stopped. So I would take that he was passing by, I saw cops on that road often as there is a big hotel/Casino on one side and State ground on other , so there is always some stuff happening there, and police is there.. Plus I hate those road working trucks with blinking lights, I understand they help but they can block your vision as well bro.

Yeah, the yellow flashing light.......

Most likely the cop just happened to drove by, so if there are no call log, then you would have to assume he wouldn't do anything unless someone is injured or try to sort out traffic like closing the road or call a tow or whatever he have to do for public safety.

Which mean officially this accident does not exist, so as i said, do you want to go public? I can only speak for myself but at the end of the day, this is your choice, I would does not mean you should.

But what should I tell cops ? Plus will it matter that I have South Carolina License/ plate/registration and driving in Florida for about 2-3 Months ? Plus wouldn't lawyer cost a lot of money ?

If you decided to file a MTA, then you need to tell them the entire thing. You were driving down the highway, you merge, he hit you, and you exchange detail, you pay him $400 and show the cop the cash apps (so they can write down you pay him $400 for the damage. ) This is just in case the other guy come back and still file the claim (I think he have 7 years to do that) so if he does, you would already have a police report saying you did pay $400 and he is not going to claim, since you are talking about civil matter, it only need to meet the balance of probability, that should be more than enough to proof.

Again, this is just for a just in case, it also depends on whether or not you want to put this into official record. That mean when you renew your preimum, you probably would have to pay more if your insurance know you had an accident and if the cop determine it is your fault (It will also be in the MTA report)

 

[Trango Towers]

So today I was coming home, it was raining a little bit so roads were bit slippery, At an exit I gave the indicator and a car from behind hit back of my car, and my car spin 3 times before going off road to grass, because of rain the Grass with water (I think) save me and my car from flipping over, I came out side quickly to check on other drive to make sure they are ok, a cop showed up and he ask us if we both are ok and need any medical attention, I was just panic and shocked and processing the situation cause this is the first time I was dealing with a accident and Cop, Cop asked us both to get our Registration and license, I get it but cop ask us if we don't want to file a report than we can go through insurance or settle it among us, he help push my car out of grass and he was on his way. The Guy and I was talking about and he said if I pay him cash than there is no need for insurance companies to get involved, he told me that would take my insurance go up and I had a 500 deductible which I would have to pay anyway, so he asked for money and I ended up giving him 400$ through cash app, my car was not damage just Rubbed off, his fender was damage and bumper was damage to and Rubbed as well. When I get home my room mates told me that I should not have done that, he did took Pics of my License and registration but upon transaction he did delete and he went on his way, now after talking to my friends they told me that I should've filed the report and he probably did not have insurance.

What I don't understand that I told cop that I am new here and this is first time dealing with this kind of situation and yet Cop did not seems to be helpful, he just bailout super quick. Now my friends told me that, guy can still file a claim from Insurance although there was no police report done so Is it possible ? they also told me he can try recover picture from deleted Pics but if there is no report can he do that ? I hope he do not do anything because I paid him because I thought it's easier and more reliable way as even the cop suggested that before he left.

Did I make a Mistake ?
What can I do better next time ?
If the guy try to do anything else what else I can do ?


@gambit @F-22Raptor @Hamartia Antidote @SQ8 @KAL-EL @JamD

OK it's has happened and it's done..lesson learnt. But next time don't hand over money to anyone.
It was his fault. He hit you from behind.

Stay safe