Car insurance scams are on the rise in the GTA
Staged crashes have increased by 400 per cent
Auto theft may be on the decline, but the GTA is experiencing an uptick in auto insurance fraud.
Instances of staged car collisions in Canada have risen by some 400 per cent last year, according to new data from Aviva Canada. That comes out to roughly 1,066 fake car crashes country-wide in 2025, reports the Peak—and the GTA was the region of top concern.
Related: A Whitby teenager chased car thieves away with a hockey stick
The scam du jour is to buy a cheap used car and roll back its odometer, making it appear more valuable than it really is. The scammer will then either stage a crash with an accomplice or, more callously, purposefully cause a collision with an unwitting driver.
This represents a change in tactics for car-minded criminals. Two years ago, Toronto was fighting off an epidemic of car thefts, which had led to home invasions, violent robberies and gun violence. Last year, however, incidents of car theft in Ontario declined by 22 per cent, according to Équité Association.
As auto thefts surged, some Torontonians went so far as to install retractable bollards in their driveways to deter thieves. The defensive measures for insurance scams, however, are less dramatic. The Insurance Bureau of Canada recommends that drivers keep a safe distance from the car ahead, exercise caution when exiting parking spots and take turns carefully. The idea in each case is to give drivers enough time and wherewithal to manoeuvre away from any scammers looking to cause a collision.
Beyond defensive measures, those tips are also just good practices for everyday driving. If driving with care can make our roads safer and deter would-be scammers in the same stroke, that sounds like a win-win.
Anthony Milton is a freelance journalist based in Toronto specializing in long-form magazine writing. He previously worked as an assistant editor at Toronto Life, where he launched the Front Row newsletter. He regularly contributes all sorts of stories to the magazine, including deep dives on sports, business and housing as well as short-form commentary on our ever-changing city, from its obsession with cherry blossoms to its maddening NIMBYism. His work has also appeared in Maclean’s, Ricochet, TVO, the Trillium and more.
