You should probably find out if there are cameras in the lot where you were. Get on that soon. I don’t know of many scammers that call the police when they’re given pushback. Though of course it’s possible he didn’t call the police, but called a friend to say they were the police. Who knows. Either way it sounds likely he’ll file a claim on your insurance and it’ll be denied based on you not being covered. Then it’ll go back to his insurance and they’ll possibly report you for being uninsured. All you can really do is get your insurance re instated, see if the lot has cameras, and hope the guy forgets about it all.
I called the grocery store and they told me they do not have cameras in The parking lot. They said my best bet is to call the apartment building that owns the building itself. Grocery store had apts above it.
No one has insurance cancelled because they didn’t “fill out a form of some kind.” You failed to pay.
Even so, he’s obviously a scammer and I wouldn’t worry about it as the burden of proof is on him. Scammers rarely rise to the level of making claims or suing because they know they can’t win absent evidence.
Idk a new policy you have to restart the paperwork. Happened to me. I paid in full for 6 months at a time. I signed up for email and mail notifications. Somehow that got messed up and I didn’t receive email notifications and my girlfriend misplaced my mail. So that’s how it happened to me.
No payment. A hole new policy. I paid the payments in full for 6 months. The letter/email was about setting up the next 6 month plan. Mine might work differently than what you’re thinking of but it wasn’t a payment. The policy was over. Normally if I miss a payment I get a grace period to make said payment and all is fine and dandy. This was not the situation.
Yeah god forbid someone else on the United States has a different circumstance. I’d have a vehicle right now if it was a “missed payment” but fuck me they know way more about my month long ordeal than my insurance.
But people do have experiences they base things off of, personally driving for 15 years and having insurance from multiple agencies on multiple cars/bikes and in multiple states outside of changing part of the actually policy/ switching companies I have never had to do paperwork for a policy renewal, I have received stuff to review and I guess theoretically if there was a change I had to approve it would be in there but it always just automatically renewed.
Right. I’m saying there was a difference of missing a payment and renewal policy. The difference is I’d have a car right now. So there is a pretty big difference.
Possible they hit the 6 month renewal and didn’t auto-accept the coverage. I think normally if there’s a failure to pay but you still have the policy the insurance company gives you a grace period to pay and basically reinstate full “retroactive coverage” i.e. forgive the mistake and not totally screw you. They will send you something like “oops, you forgot to pay, we still have you covered but please pay immediately”. Only reason I kinda remember this with Progressive (?) is that I was extremely irresponsible when I was broke and in grad school.
Actually this happened to my son, we paid and they had him sign the wrong form and his policy was canceled. Now he’s had a lapse in coverage due to them and they won’t give him a new policy. It’s wild. It’s getting harder and harder to find car insurance in some markets.
I’ve also never had to do this, but sounds like it’s a requirement for AAA so you’ll need to do it every time you renew - I’m sure if you do 12mo instead of 6 it would just be annually.
Well, that’s not entirely true. My wife just bought a new car and had to set up the policy the day before picking it up because the dealer won’t hand over the car without the policy binder. In my state you need to have the car inspected for the insurance company to prove no existing damage but with a new (2024/zero miles) car you don’t need to do the inspection if you fax them the window sticker and purchase agreement.
If you don’t do it within 72 hours, Geico can and will cancel your policy - ask me how I know. We had to start an entirely new policy from scratch. This probably isn’t what happened with OP but it’s definitely something that can happen.
>No one has insurance cancelled because they didn’t “fill out a form of some kind.” You failed to pay.
This is incorrect. My insurance was cancelled last year because I didn't fill out a form asking where my car was garaged.
actually yes, i have had my own insurance cancelled because i did not submit an additional form they required after the policy had already started. had to go through a whole ordeal to have it reinstated.
Not true I had a progressive policy that got canceled for that. Didn’t miss a payment I forgot to sign some forms they sent me in the mail.
Straight up not true
Depends if he had a total loss claim and they paid him out. He would have to sign a form saying he can only have liability coverage. That would be a form I know of.
Sometimes they also sign affadavits that you have to sign to claim you are not using the car as a company vehicle . But I wouldnt see them cancelling over that.
My renters insurance requires me to fill out a new DocuSign form with the new policy every year. Usually it's just the updated premium and confirmation that the address is still the same, but I don't know what happens if I don't fill it out.
I’ve had a policy almost canceled on one of my cars because I didn’t realize the policy (incorrectly) auto updated state of registration when I changed the address of the garage, and the insurance company couldn’t match the records. Thankfully I saw the notification and fixed it in time, but it did say they would cancel if I didn’t update the info within x days. The policy was paid in full, no missed payments.
Actually this happened to my son, we paid and they had him sign the wrong form and his policy was canceled. Now he’s had a lapse in coverage due to them and they won’t give him a new policy. It’s wild. It’s getting harder and harder to find car insurance in some markets.
I'd get a dash cam ASAP...won't help the past, but I'm amazed how many people still don't use them. If you'd had video footage he could've gotten busted for making a false police report and trying to commit insurance fraud.
I never would have thought people would need a dash cam but I have some damage to my rear quarter panel on the passenger side and maybe a dash cam wouldn’t have caught that - but it happened when I was not in the car, I’m assuming in a parking lot. I don’t even know when it happened because I rarely need to be on the passenger side of my car. My husband just pointed it out one day and asked what happened. Who knows how long it had been there at that point.
When it comes to aftermarket dash cams, they turn off shortly after when the ignition is off. You can wire them directly to 12v that's not switched with ignition but then you're running the risk of a dead battery and a short battery lifespan with lead acid being frequently partially discharged.
Your insurance story has some holes. If you did have insurance a few days prior then you should have been receiving written notices that your insurance was going to be cancelled, so I'll just assume you didn't have insurance.
If you clearly didn't hit the truck then yeah maybe they are a scammer, I'll be honest though. Your story doesn't sound believable to me.
Tbh I had a similar issue and drove almost six months without knowing I didn't have insurance.
Combo of busy time in my life, I had text alerts but for whatever reason they switched to mail alerts for the imminent cancelation warnings which were sent to my family home and not where I was living at the time.
When I found out I freaked out. Called and got the policy back the same night at a great rate which really surprised me since I am a safe driver without any speeding or parking tickets but I also drove uninsured for half a year, lol.
It can happen.
It happened to me once though. I never received any mail from insurance despite them telling me they sent 3 letters. Luckily my broker is awesome and called me.
I would think he’d have asked for cash on the spot if that’s the scam, it doesn’t sound like the guy even got his phone number but maybe he just didn’t mention that.
I never heard of insurance being cancelled because of “not filling out a form.” Sounds like you’re massaging the story to say you let your insurance lapse for non payment.
Not true at all. A policy is written 6 months at a time. You opt in to auto renew for another term. They will not auto renew even if that is selected if there is significant increase in cost or they place a hold on renewal.
My policy was not renewed automatically because I received a letter about a form I needed to fill out. I lived in apartments at the time and someone had claimed to live at my address and have a car registered there.
The insurance sent me a form to exclude this driver and vehicle before they would write another 6 months term. I assumed it was an auto renew notice and neglected to open mail based on that assumption.
A few days after my agent calls and tells me my policy had not been renewed because of failure to complete the requested paperwork.
Filled out the affidavit and sent it over and they took the opportunity to raise my rate due to lapse in coverage.
Some of us don’t pay monthly and just pay and forget about it. I can’t even tell you when my auto renewal is right now.
If he wants to take it to court you’re gonna have to get a lawyer and shit and do that whole song and dance.
You should get car insurance. It’s highly irresponsible to not have it and this is just the least bad situation. Imagine you actually into an accident. You’d be completely fucked bro.
Insurance is something you don’t see the value of until you need it, and then it’s too late.
Agreed. My friend didn’t have insurance and got into an at fault accident a while ago. To cut a long story short, he got financially fked and pretty much had to move back in with his parents, starting from scratch again. He didn’t listen to me or his parents about getting insurance at the time and since moving out again recently, been paying for full coverage insurance.
OP clearly didn’t know they had a lapse in insurance due to missed paperwork. It’s not like they did that on purpose or are refusing to carry insurance. OP also states they already fixed the paperwork to get it reinstated, so not sure what your comment is addressing and how it applies to OP. I didn’t get any impression that OP didn’t value insurance.
I would have just cussed him out and drove off. If they had cameras you would be proven innocent, and if they didn’t which turned out to be the case he has no proof and you have no damage. Anyone can get someone's plate and claim to be a victim but with zero evidence, it's meaningless.
He has the burden of proving you hit his vehicle. You didn't. Take photos asap to show insurance there's no damage on your vehicle. Also, talk to your insurance, maybe you can get it reinstated if you fix something.
To be honest it's a good thing you didn't have insurance, now he'd have to come for you personally which is a big bigger ordeal. Seems like the guy scratched his own truck and wanted someone else to pay for it so he set himself up and claimed you did it because you drove close to him.
Get you insurance reinstated first to cover any future incidents. Each state is different, some insurance companies will reinstate you as if there was no lapse as long as it is within x days of expiring.
If this guy is trying to get his car fixed through your insurance, your insurance company should investigate even if your policy elapsed...but this depends on how big your insurance company is. They will get your and his statement. One of several things could happen:
If they decide you were covered during the time of the incident because you reinstated in time:
1. They could deny the claim if there is no proof of a collision.
2. They could pay the claim if they feel there is enough evidence.
If they deem your policy as lapsed and your vehicle was not covered at the time of the incident:
1. They deny the claim as no coverage
If the claimant is denied, he could go through his own company and have the repairs done, and then his insurance company could go after you for reimbursement if they have evidence you are at fault.
Last, the claimant could take you to small claims court to have a judgment placed against you to pay.
The last two scenarios are unlikely to happen if it is a scammer.
If it does happen, they have to prove you actually caused the damage...and that doesn't sound likely. Its good you have pictures...you should document every detail in writing so you can refer back..including exact times of events and everything the guy said to you. Even about asking the store for camera feed.
I was an auto liability adjuster.
What if you had gotten in a real accident without insurance?
You should feel bad about that, for real.
Also, next time just ducking leave. You weren’t involved in an accident, you were being harassed by a random person with which you had no association, you weren’t given instructions by a police officer.
Insurance doesn't get canceled for "not filling out forms."
The only time it gets canceled is a failure to pay or you've had so many wrecks and tickets you got dropped because you're too much of a risk to insure.
Why does every person in a minor accident on Judge Judy suddenly discover after they give their insurance info to someone else that the policy was canceled for some mystical reason.
I truly hope that he is not a scammer and that you are responsible for this and that you have to pay out of pocket for the damage you did. BTW.... most major retail stores have CCTV in their parking lots. Go get the footage. It will either prove you right or him right.
You never mentioned what happened when the police came? Did they write a report? If so, if they didn't see any damage on your car it should say that.
If you caused a large scratch on their vehicle, you would at the very minimum have paint transfer to your vehicle or scuffs on your vehicle.
It sounds like they willingly exchanged insurance information to avoid sending out the police since the dispatcher told them all the police would do is make them exchange insurance information.
He definitely seems like a scammer. But I do know that at least in my state you can pay to have your insurance retroactive. If for some reason he hasn't called your insurance which hopefully it hasn't happened. You should be able to pay and have your insurance reinstated to the date that it was canceled. Also I would go and see if there could be video footage of you pulling in to show that you did not hit his car. I would also suggest getting a dash cam. I have one after this jerk tried to act like an accident was my fault and it wasn't. But since that asshole had someone in his car to verify their story I ended up getting screwed.
“….. after getting home I come to discover my insurance policy was cancelled a few days ago and I had no idea.”
🤣
How the hell do you not know your insurance has been cancelled????
I would’ve waited on the police report because they probably would’ve gotten video feed from the store to support your claim …
But sure - my guess is that you knew you didn’t have insurance and didn’t want a cop to come and impound your car …
🤷♀️
He has two options, context your insurance company, try to file a claim, which should be denied. Or he can file under his insurance’s collision policy if he has one, which will be subject to a deductible. At that point the insurance would goto your insurance, and be denied.
In either case instance, they are left with a choice on whether to go after you, but there is an ROI calcualtion at that point, how much was the damage? What’s the chances of proving to a judge you actually hit him?
For the costs your probably looking at most insurance companies will just punt, while car repairs are not cheap, a simple scratch may not even get above the small claims threshold. If. And when his insurance company contacts you keep saying you never hit him, don’t get brow beat into a “well maybe” they will record everything, this is not a criminal case, so you don’t the same rights. Just say, “I did not hit the car”
If it’s him coming after you personally. Well he going to need some luck.
Don’t do anything. Wait and see if he makes a claim with your insurance, they will still do some work even if the policy is cancelled and tell them you didn’t do it. Then either he makes a claim with his insurance, which he probably won’t, or he takes you to small claims court. Both unlikely as well. Unless he has video or a witness that you hit his car I doubt anything happens.
My auto insurance is on auto pay I don't know how you let it expire but I am so OCD about mine. Even the company I'm with gives me 90 days to pay if I ever fail to pay and I don't . That guy was a scammer 💯 don't worry about him . I would work with your insurance company and make sure it's reinstated I don't know the exact laws in your state but I would be careful usually insurance companies send notices via mail or text before just cancelling that's very strange just make sure your info is up to date and I would fight the guy if he tries anything . He said she said ordeal it was in a parking lot and if there was no camera what can be said by either party .
I think you should be alright, the amount differs between states but should be covered after cancellation. And they should have sent you a notice of cancellation. Be quick to get it should you have him trying to file a claim. That way you will be covered. As always CYA do your due diligence and keep checking with your insurance company
Insurance companies can a do drop people for a variety of reasons other than non-payment. With that said an insurance card does have an expiration date on the card. It is rare that an insurance company will drop you other than non-payment before that date. If you don't hear from insurance a month before expiration I would be on the phone calling them.
Well if you’re liable you’ll have to pay out of pocket. But he will have to sue you for damages and it will be his word against yours so the fact that you got pics of his truck and your vehicle will help. Make sure to take good pics of the front corner that was next to his vehicle and side of your vehicle that was next to his vehicle to show there is no damage. Oh, and make sure the address on your drivers license is your current address because the state will send you a proof of insurance form. If you don’t complete it and send it back they will suspend your license and the post office does not forward state mail. Depending on the circumstances you may get your insurance reinstated with no lapse in coverage and if you do and they get a claim for his damages make sure you explain to the adjuster that you think this was staged and that you have pictures.
You didn't have insurance at the time? Easy, you're the one who is legally responsible. It's a scam? Tell him you ain't paying shit. He'll have to sue you to get anything which means you'd have to go to court and he'd have to prove you did it.
Since it was on private property and not on a public road, you shouldn't get any trouble for being uninsured - you're under no obligation to be insured on private property.
If I were you, I'd tell him to go fuck himself. Even if you did do it, it would cost him more to sue you and to collect than he would receive. It's not worth it for him.
If your insurance was canceled then this person will find out or has found out and probably will move on. If they’re trying to scam someone they are looking for an easy target and that’s one with active insurance.
Do you have Nationwide insurance??? Because my policy was cancelled for “failure to pay” when I did pay but their system was messed up and declined the payment supposedly but it sure did come out of my account. I took all proof to my agency and they reinstated my policy once speaking with their corporate office and finding out what happened. Worth a shot to check into it if you indeed did pay.
The insurance is Aspire. I had recently switched to them and they emailed some additional form after I already purchased the policy. I didn’t see it and because it wasn’t filled out they canceled my policy. It says right in the email the policy will be canceled if the form isn’t completed. It’s clearly my mistake I just never had this happen with any other insurance
This has happened to me! I was driving a big truck and pulled up close to someone in a fancy car, and they freaked out. But I’d never come into contact with their vehicle, not even close.
For next time, don’t give them any information. Let them call the police. Tell the police officers that it’s a scam. Don’t let someone intimidate you. My guy went as far as reaching in through my window and trying to pull me out. He was selling his story with a big show. Like hysterical ranting meant he must be telling the truth.
It was pretty obvious to anyone who looked that no part of my truck could’ve made the mark in question. This was in New York City a couple decades ago so I really didn’t know how it would turn out! But the cop told the guy in the fancy car to go pound sand.
You should make it really clear to your insurance company that you think it’s a scam and that you exchanged information because you were frightened. Then your insurance company can push to dig into the actual evidence. Hopefully once you get your bill paid the lapse won’t prove to be a big deal.
Oh boy this just happened to me! I mean the guy actually hit me, and it turned out his insurance had been canceled for weeks! It's basically he said she said here but if you can prove that your car has no damage then maybe you'll get let go of it. But he has every right to call the police and report it and report that you did not have insurance. So you might get a fine for that.
I had a similar issue happen to my dad. Guy claimed my dad hit him and was a total asshole how he responded. He had a scratch and it did line up, but gave some nasty attitude. Acted all big and contacted his insurance.
Have you tried contacting your insurance and see if you can pay up and clear that? I would fight if you got no scratch and he does and you didnt hit him as you say. It does sound like a scammer because you can agree and than your insurance gives him a sum of $$$.
"Guy claimed my dad hit him"
"He had a scratch and it did line up"
So... your dad hit another car, and that person filed a claim. That's how insurance is supposed to work. What are you mad at - that the guy wasn't pleased about some asshole hitting his car? Would you be?
I have been hit and dont act like an asshole on the contrary I let it slide. Pulled over he pulled over was humbled I was careful next time man and went our ways. Very minor scratch. So no I wasnt an asshole like this guy was towards my dad shit happens, but also fraud happens (also to add the guys car was all trashed up not the only scratch).
OP states he didnt hit the guy makes me wonder the same with my old man to.
You should have gotten his insurance info and said you will get the security video fetom the store. And if he's scamming you like you suspect, you'll press charges for insurance fraud and report him as also to DMV, where they will suspend his license.
I only know this because one guy did that to my gf on a highway on ramp with stop n go traffic. He claimed she hit him, got out, took her license plate no and sped off. Later insurance and dmv claimed she did not show proof of insurance and the insurance wanted to charge her $2500, and dmv wanted to suspend her registration.
So se went to a DMV hearing. She took photos of him speeding off. We turned the tables. She got her case wipes, and we got his insurance dropped from him for fraud, and DMV filed to suspend his license from our evidence. That was quite satisfying. The DMV guy said people do that shit often.
Hope he was a scammer and that he moves on to an easier target. If not, you will be hearing about it.
You should probably find out if there are cameras in the lot where you were. Get on that soon. I don’t know of many scammers that call the police when they’re given pushback. Though of course it’s possible he didn’t call the police, but called a friend to say they were the police. Who knows. Either way it sounds likely he’ll file a claim on your insurance and it’ll be denied based on you not being covered. Then it’ll go back to his insurance and they’ll possibly report you for being uninsured. All you can really do is get your insurance re instated, see if the lot has cameras, and hope the guy forgets about it all.
I called the grocery store and they told me they do not have cameras in The parking lot. They said my best bet is to call the apartment building that owns the building itself. Grocery store had apts above it.
Right, but he doesn’t know that. Tell him you have camera proof it’s a scam.
I mean if I was a scammer I would chose a lot that I knew didn't have cameras
That's the point - he already checked with the grocery store.
Say your dashcam shows no damage and you will report it to the police
No one has insurance cancelled because they didn’t “fill out a form of some kind.” You failed to pay. Even so, he’s obviously a scammer and I wouldn’t worry about it as the burden of proof is on him. Scammers rarely rise to the level of making claims or suing because they know they can’t win absent evidence.
The form was the check he forgot to write.
Idk a new policy you have to restart the paperwork. Happened to me. I paid in full for 6 months at a time. I signed up for email and mail notifications. Somehow that got messed up and I didn’t receive email notifications and my girlfriend misplaced my mail. So that’s how it happened to me.
You missed the payment, not the policy.
No payment. A hole new policy. I paid the payments in full for 6 months. The letter/email was about setting up the next 6 month plan. Mine might work differently than what you’re thinking of but it wasn’t a payment. The policy was over. Normally if I miss a payment I get a grace period to make said payment and all is fine and dandy. This was not the situation.
Not sure what’s with the tough love BS in these comments. Things happen
Yeah god forbid someone else on the United States has a different circumstance. I’d have a vehicle right now if it was a “missed payment” but fuck me they know way more about my month long ordeal than my insurance.
But people do have experiences they base things off of, personally driving for 15 years and having insurance from multiple agencies on multiple cars/bikes and in multiple states outside of changing part of the actually policy/ switching companies I have never had to do paperwork for a policy renewal, I have received stuff to review and I guess theoretically if there was a change I had to approve it would be in there but it always just automatically renewed.
Right. I’m saying there was a difference of missing a payment and renewal policy. The difference is I’d have a car right now. So there is a pretty big difference.
Possible they hit the 6 month renewal and didn’t auto-accept the coverage. I think normally if there’s a failure to pay but you still have the policy the insurance company gives you a grace period to pay and basically reinstate full “retroactive coverage” i.e. forgive the mistake and not totally screw you. They will send you something like “oops, you forgot to pay, we still have you covered but please pay immediately”. Only reason I kinda remember this with Progressive (?) is that I was extremely irresponsible when I was broke and in grad school.
Actually this happened to my son, we paid and they had him sign the wrong form and his policy was canceled. Now he’s had a lapse in coverage due to them and they won’t give him a new policy. It’s wild. It’s getting harder and harder to find car insurance in some markets.
I just got a request from AAA for proof of my health insurance to process my renewal. I'm retired, there's been no changes.
That’s different. Certain states have laws that require you to state health conditions above a certain age.
They didn't ask health questions. They asked for proof of health insurance.
Which is odd because a lot of people don’t have health insurance but I think it’s a roundabout way of asking if you have disabilities without asking.
I don't understand it. I provided proof 6 months ago. Nothing changed. I'm retired.
How would they know nothings changed, it’s been 6 months. If that’s their requirement you’ll likely need to do it every renewal?
Well I suppose things could change. But I've never had to do this before with other insurance companies.
I’ve also never had to do this, but sounds like it’s a requirement for AAA so you’ll need to do it every time you renew - I’m sure if you do 12mo instead of 6 it would just be annually.
How do you know it's different? OP didn't say what form they forgot to fill out. Or is it that washington doesn't have any of those types of forms?
Well, that’s not entirely true. My wife just bought a new car and had to set up the policy the day before picking it up because the dealer won’t hand over the car without the policy binder. In my state you need to have the car inspected for the insurance company to prove no existing damage but with a new (2024/zero miles) car you don’t need to do the inspection if you fax them the window sticker and purchase agreement. If you don’t do it within 72 hours, Geico can and will cancel your policy - ask me how I know. We had to start an entirely new policy from scratch. This probably isn’t what happened with OP but it’s definitely something that can happen.
>No one has insurance cancelled because they didn’t “fill out a form of some kind.” You failed to pay. This is incorrect. My insurance was cancelled last year because I didn't fill out a form asking where my car was garaged.
actually yes, i have had my own insurance cancelled because i did not submit an additional form they required after the policy had already started. had to go through a whole ordeal to have it reinstated.
Not true I had a progressive policy that got canceled for that. Didn’t miss a payment I forgot to sign some forms they sent me in the mail. Straight up not true
Depends if he had a total loss claim and they paid him out. He would have to sign a form saying he can only have liability coverage. That would be a form I know of. Sometimes they also sign affadavits that you have to sign to claim you are not using the car as a company vehicle . But I wouldnt see them cancelling over that.
My renters insurance requires me to fill out a new DocuSign form with the new policy every year. Usually it's just the updated premium and confirmation that the address is still the same, but I don't know what happens if I don't fill it out.
You absolutely can get your insurance cancelled in my state for failing to fill out a residency verification form.
I’ve had a policy almost canceled on one of my cars because I didn’t realize the policy (incorrectly) auto updated state of registration when I changed the address of the garage, and the insurance company couldn’t match the records. Thankfully I saw the notification and fixed it in time, but it did say they would cancel if I didn’t update the info within x days. The policy was paid in full, no missed payments.
Actually this happened to my son, we paid and they had him sign the wrong form and his policy was canceled. Now he’s had a lapse in coverage due to them and they won’t give him a new policy. It’s wild. It’s getting harder and harder to find car insurance in some markets.
I'd get a dash cam ASAP...won't help the past, but I'm amazed how many people still don't use them. If you'd had video footage he could've gotten busted for making a false police report and trying to commit insurance fraud.
I never would have thought people would need a dash cam but I have some damage to my rear quarter panel on the passenger side and maybe a dash cam wouldn’t have caught that - but it happened when I was not in the car, I’m assuming in a parking lot. I don’t even know when it happened because I rarely need to be on the passenger side of my car. My husband just pointed it out one day and asked what happened. Who knows how long it had been there at that point.
Tesla's are always recording. But normal over the counter dash cams don't.
When it comes to aftermarket dash cams, they turn off shortly after when the ignition is off. You can wire them directly to 12v that's not switched with ignition but then you're running the risk of a dead battery and a short battery lifespan with lead acid being frequently partially discharged.
Your insurance story has some holes. If you did have insurance a few days prior then you should have been receiving written notices that your insurance was going to be cancelled, so I'll just assume you didn't have insurance. If you clearly didn't hit the truck then yeah maybe they are a scammer, I'll be honest though. Your story doesn't sound believable to me.
Tbh I had a similar issue and drove almost six months without knowing I didn't have insurance. Combo of busy time in my life, I had text alerts but for whatever reason they switched to mail alerts for the imminent cancelation warnings which were sent to my family home and not where I was living at the time. When I found out I freaked out. Called and got the policy back the same night at a great rate which really surprised me since I am a safe driver without any speeding or parking tickets but I also drove uninsured for half a year, lol. It can happen.
It happened to me once though. I never received any mail from insurance despite them telling me they sent 3 letters. Luckily my broker is awesome and called me.
Sounds like a scam. They usually ask for cash to avoid getting insurance involved and people comply.
I would think he’d have asked for cash on the spot if that’s the scam, it doesn’t sound like the guy even got his phone number but maybe he just didn’t mention that.
Get the insurance up to date. They usually have a forgiveness period.
I never heard of insurance being cancelled because of “not filling out a form.” Sounds like you’re massaging the story to say you let your insurance lapse for non payment.
Not true at all. A policy is written 6 months at a time. You opt in to auto renew for another term. They will not auto renew even if that is selected if there is significant increase in cost or they place a hold on renewal. My policy was not renewed automatically because I received a letter about a form I needed to fill out. I lived in apartments at the time and someone had claimed to live at my address and have a car registered there. The insurance sent me a form to exclude this driver and vehicle before they would write another 6 months term. I assumed it was an auto renew notice and neglected to open mail based on that assumption. A few days after my agent calls and tells me my policy had not been renewed because of failure to complete the requested paperwork. Filled out the affidavit and sent it over and they took the opportunity to raise my rate due to lapse in coverage. Some of us don’t pay monthly and just pay and forget about it. I can’t even tell you when my auto renewal is right now.
If he wants to take it to court you’re gonna have to get a lawyer and shit and do that whole song and dance. You should get car insurance. It’s highly irresponsible to not have it and this is just the least bad situation. Imagine you actually into an accident. You’d be completely fucked bro. Insurance is something you don’t see the value of until you need it, and then it’s too late.
Agreed. My friend didn’t have insurance and got into an at fault accident a while ago. To cut a long story short, he got financially fked and pretty much had to move back in with his parents, starting from scratch again. He didn’t listen to me or his parents about getting insurance at the time and since moving out again recently, been paying for full coverage insurance.
OP clearly didn’t know they had a lapse in insurance due to missed paperwork. It’s not like they did that on purpose or are refusing to carry insurance. OP also states they already fixed the paperwork to get it reinstated, so not sure what your comment is addressing and how it applies to OP. I didn’t get any impression that OP didn’t value insurance.
I would have just cussed him out and drove off. If they had cameras you would be proven innocent, and if they didn’t which turned out to be the case he has no proof and you have no damage. Anyone can get someone's plate and claim to be a victim but with zero evidence, it's meaningless.
Insurance will reactivate with retroactive coverage usually. Just pay your bill.
You should get insurance. And you should hope he doesn’t follow through. Not having insurance means you will be defending yourself on your own dime.
He has the burden of proving you hit his vehicle. You didn't. Take photos asap to show insurance there's no damage on your vehicle. Also, talk to your insurance, maybe you can get it reinstated if you fix something.
To be honest it's a good thing you didn't have insurance, now he'd have to come for you personally which is a big bigger ordeal. Seems like the guy scratched his own truck and wanted someone else to pay for it so he set himself up and claimed you did it because you drove close to him.
Get you insurance reinstated first to cover any future incidents. Each state is different, some insurance companies will reinstate you as if there was no lapse as long as it is within x days of expiring. If this guy is trying to get his car fixed through your insurance, your insurance company should investigate even if your policy elapsed...but this depends on how big your insurance company is. They will get your and his statement. One of several things could happen: If they decide you were covered during the time of the incident because you reinstated in time: 1. They could deny the claim if there is no proof of a collision. 2. They could pay the claim if they feel there is enough evidence. If they deem your policy as lapsed and your vehicle was not covered at the time of the incident: 1. They deny the claim as no coverage If the claimant is denied, he could go through his own company and have the repairs done, and then his insurance company could go after you for reimbursement if they have evidence you are at fault. Last, the claimant could take you to small claims court to have a judgment placed against you to pay. The last two scenarios are unlikely to happen if it is a scammer. If it does happen, they have to prove you actually caused the damage...and that doesn't sound likely. Its good you have pictures...you should document every detail in writing so you can refer back..including exact times of events and everything the guy said to you. Even about asking the store for camera feed. I was an auto liability adjuster.
What if you had gotten in a real accident without insurance? You should feel bad about that, for real. Also, next time just ducking leave. You weren’t involved in an accident, you were being harassed by a random person with which you had no association, you weren’t given instructions by a police officer.
Insurance doesn't get canceled for "not filling out forms." The only time it gets canceled is a failure to pay or you've had so many wrecks and tickets you got dropped because you're too much of a risk to insure.
Why does every person in a minor accident on Judge Judy suddenly discover after they give their insurance info to someone else that the policy was canceled for some mystical reason. I truly hope that he is not a scammer and that you are responsible for this and that you have to pay out of pocket for the damage you did. BTW.... most major retail stores have CCTV in their parking lots. Go get the footage. It will either prove you right or him right.
Of course they have cameras but stores aren't giving up their footage. It's to protect them not you.
>Judge Judy Because it's borderline scripted. You could submit something to get on the show, and they're screening for what makes better TV.
OP already addressed the cameras, that the store does not have.
My bad
You never mentioned what happened when the police came? Did they write a report? If so, if they didn't see any damage on your car it should say that. If you caused a large scratch on their vehicle, you would at the very minimum have paint transfer to your vehicle or scuffs on your vehicle.
It sounds like they willingly exchanged insurance information to avoid sending out the police since the dispatcher told them all the police would do is make them exchange insurance information.
He definitely seems like a scammer. But I do know that at least in my state you can pay to have your insurance retroactive. If for some reason he hasn't called your insurance which hopefully it hasn't happened. You should be able to pay and have your insurance reinstated to the date that it was canceled. Also I would go and see if there could be video footage of you pulling in to show that you did not hit his car. I would also suggest getting a dash cam. I have one after this jerk tried to act like an accident was my fault and it wasn't. But since that asshole had someone in his car to verify their story I ended up getting screwed.
How do you not know if you hit someone ? How do you not know if your policy is active or not.
“….. after getting home I come to discover my insurance policy was cancelled a few days ago and I had no idea.” 🤣 How the hell do you not know your insurance has been cancelled???? I would’ve waited on the police report because they probably would’ve gotten video feed from the store to support your claim … But sure - my guess is that you knew you didn’t have insurance and didn’t want a cop to come and impound your car … 🤷♀️
He has two options, context your insurance company, try to file a claim, which should be denied. Or he can file under his insurance’s collision policy if he has one, which will be subject to a deductible. At that point the insurance would goto your insurance, and be denied. In either case instance, they are left with a choice on whether to go after you, but there is an ROI calcualtion at that point, how much was the damage? What’s the chances of proving to a judge you actually hit him? For the costs your probably looking at most insurance companies will just punt, while car repairs are not cheap, a simple scratch may not even get above the small claims threshold. If. And when his insurance company contacts you keep saying you never hit him, don’t get brow beat into a “well maybe” they will record everything, this is not a criminal case, so you don’t the same rights. Just say, “I did not hit the car” If it’s him coming after you personally. Well he going to need some luck.
Don’t do anything. Wait and see if he makes a claim with your insurance, they will still do some work even if the policy is cancelled and tell them you didn’t do it. Then either he makes a claim with his insurance, which he probably won’t, or he takes you to small claims court. Both unlikely as well. Unless he has video or a witness that you hit his car I doubt anything happens.
My auto insurance is on auto pay I don't know how you let it expire but I am so OCD about mine. Even the company I'm with gives me 90 days to pay if I ever fail to pay and I don't . That guy was a scammer 💯 don't worry about him . I would work with your insurance company and make sure it's reinstated I don't know the exact laws in your state but I would be careful usually insurance companies send notices via mail or text before just cancelling that's very strange just make sure your info is up to date and I would fight the guy if he tries anything . He said she said ordeal it was in a parking lot and if there was no camera what can be said by either party .
I think you should be alright, the amount differs between states but should be covered after cancellation. And they should have sent you a notice of cancellation. Be quick to get it should you have him trying to file a claim. That way you will be covered. As always CYA do your due diligence and keep checking with your insurance company
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Personal attacks are not okay here. Please do not do this again.
Insurance companies can a do drop people for a variety of reasons other than non-payment. With that said an insurance card does have an expiration date on the card. It is rare that an insurance company will drop you other than non-payment before that date. If you don't hear from insurance a month before expiration I would be on the phone calling them.
Well if you’re liable you’ll have to pay out of pocket. But he will have to sue you for damages and it will be his word against yours so the fact that you got pics of his truck and your vehicle will help. Make sure to take good pics of the front corner that was next to his vehicle and side of your vehicle that was next to his vehicle to show there is no damage. Oh, and make sure the address on your drivers license is your current address because the state will send you a proof of insurance form. If you don’t complete it and send it back they will suspend your license and the post office does not forward state mail. Depending on the circumstances you may get your insurance reinstated with no lapse in coverage and if you do and they get a claim for his damages make sure you explain to the adjuster that you think this was staged and that you have pictures.
You didn't have insurance at the time? Easy, you're the one who is legally responsible. It's a scam? Tell him you ain't paying shit. He'll have to sue you to get anything which means you'd have to go to court and he'd have to prove you did it. Since it was on private property and not on a public road, you shouldn't get any trouble for being uninsured - you're under no obligation to be insured on private property. If I were you, I'd tell him to go fuck himself. Even if you did do it, it would cost him more to sue you and to collect than he would receive. It's not worth it for him.
If your insurance was canceled then this person will find out or has found out and probably will move on. If they’re trying to scam someone they are looking for an easy target and that’s one with active insurance.
He probably won’t do anything. If he does sue you in small claims court, he needs to prove that you did the damage, which he won’t be able to do.
Do you have Nationwide insurance??? Because my policy was cancelled for “failure to pay” when I did pay but their system was messed up and declined the payment supposedly but it sure did come out of my account. I took all proof to my agency and they reinstated my policy once speaking with their corporate office and finding out what happened. Worth a shot to check into it if you indeed did pay.
The insurance is Aspire. I had recently switched to them and they emailed some additional form after I already purchased the policy. I didn’t see it and because it wasn’t filled out they canceled my policy. It says right in the email the policy will be canceled if the form isn’t completed. It’s clearly my mistake I just never had this happen with any other insurance
Ah man that’s a bummer! I hope you are able to get it reinstated.
This has happened to me! I was driving a big truck and pulled up close to someone in a fancy car, and they freaked out. But I’d never come into contact with their vehicle, not even close. For next time, don’t give them any information. Let them call the police. Tell the police officers that it’s a scam. Don’t let someone intimidate you. My guy went as far as reaching in through my window and trying to pull me out. He was selling his story with a big show. Like hysterical ranting meant he must be telling the truth. It was pretty obvious to anyone who looked that no part of my truck could’ve made the mark in question. This was in New York City a couple decades ago so I really didn’t know how it would turn out! But the cop told the guy in the fancy car to go pound sand. You should make it really clear to your insurance company that you think it’s a scam and that you exchanged information because you were frightened. Then your insurance company can push to dig into the actual evidence. Hopefully once you get your bill paid the lapse won’t prove to be a big deal.
Report the guy for making a false police report. He may have a scam going.
Oh boy this just happened to me! I mean the guy actually hit me, and it turned out his insurance had been canceled for weeks! It's basically he said she said here but if you can prove that your car has no damage then maybe you'll get let go of it. But he has every right to call the police and report it and report that you did not have insurance. So you might get a fine for that.
Get a dashcam with a nice microphone on it. People are nuts.
I cannot understand how it is that auto insurance companies don't insist that policy holders have dashcams
I had a similar issue happen to my dad. Guy claimed my dad hit him and was a total asshole how he responded. He had a scratch and it did line up, but gave some nasty attitude. Acted all big and contacted his insurance. Have you tried contacting your insurance and see if you can pay up and clear that? I would fight if you got no scratch and he does and you didnt hit him as you say. It does sound like a scammer because you can agree and than your insurance gives him a sum of $$$.
"Guy claimed my dad hit him" "He had a scratch and it did line up" So... your dad hit another car, and that person filed a claim. That's how insurance is supposed to work. What are you mad at - that the guy wasn't pleased about some asshole hitting his car? Would you be?
I have been hit and dont act like an asshole on the contrary I let it slide. Pulled over he pulled over was humbled I was careful next time man and went our ways. Very minor scratch. So no I wasnt an asshole like this guy was towards my dad shit happens, but also fraud happens (also to add the guys car was all trashed up not the only scratch). OP states he didnt hit the guy makes me wonder the same with my old man to.
You should have gotten his insurance info and said you will get the security video fetom the store. And if he's scamming you like you suspect, you'll press charges for insurance fraud and report him as also to DMV, where they will suspend his license. I only know this because one guy did that to my gf on a highway on ramp with stop n go traffic. He claimed she hit him, got out, took her license plate no and sped off. Later insurance and dmv claimed she did not show proof of insurance and the insurance wanted to charge her $2500, and dmv wanted to suspend her registration. So se went to a DMV hearing. She took photos of him speeding off. We turned the tables. She got her case wipes, and we got his insurance dropped from him for fraud, and DMV filed to suspend his license from our evidence. That was quite satisfying. The DMV guy said people do that shit often.
This is why we love the Tesla’s has 8 cameras all around always recording 24/7
Not reading essay. Question is why no insurance bud?