In my post about illegal immigration, a commenter pointed out that I was lucky to avoid greater financial consequences from my “car accident.” It turns out that the maneuver where a car accelerates from a stop and then suddenly slams on the brakes is a common insurance scam. This tactic is known as the “sudden stop” or “brake check” scheme.

I started researching more about this type of fraud because it had crossed my mind during the accident. Out of nowhere, after accelerating hard, the car in front of me slammed on the brakes for no apparent reason—she had the right of way at the intersection. Thankfully, I was moving slowly, barely reaching 3 mph toward the stop sign, before slamming on my brakes and bumping into her car.

Could Have Been A Setup

Later that evening, a reader from San Francisco reached out, sharing a similar experience from just

Keep reading this article on Financial Samurai.