Among all the mayhem that superstorm Sandy wreaked on the East Coast were several thousand cars.
These cars must be identified as flood-damaged when they’re resold but that doesn’t always happen, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
The NICB puts the total number of cars damaged by Sandy at more than 250,000, with New York and New Jersey accounting for 210,000 of them.
The figures are preliminary estimates based on claims processed by insurance companies and could change as additional claims are received and processed. They’re also limited to insured losses only. There are many uninsured vehicles that were damaged by Sandy and those numbers are not reflected in these figures.
There is no determination as to the extent of damage to these vehicles. They could have sustained minor paint scratches from flying debris, or have been under water for days and rendered total losses.
By now there could be many Sandy damaged vehicles that are in the process of being reconditioned and sold to unsuspecting consumers all across the country.
The NICB indicates it’s not illegal to buy or sell flood vehicles, or vehicles declared as salvage, as long as all parties involved in a sale are aware of the vehicle’s status. Consumers should be aware that severely damaged vehicles may appear advertised for sale without any indication that they were at all affected by Sandy. As always, buyers should be careful when considering a used vehicle purchase in the weeks and months following a disaster such as Sandy, the NICB warns.
Consumers can download useful checklists and learn more about flood and salvage vehicle scams and post-disaster contractor repair schemes by visiting the NICB website.
The NICB’s VINCheck also allows free consumer access to the vehicle salvage records of participating NICB member insurance companies who collectively provide 88 percent of the auto insurance in force today.
Anyone with information concerning vehicle theft and insurance fraud can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 1-800-TEL-NICB (1-800-835-6422), texting keyword “fraud” to TIP411 (847411) or by visiting our Web site at www.nicb.org. Or, iPhone or iPad users can download the NICB Fraud Tips app to make it easy to quickly send a tip and get a response.
The per-state breakdown of Sandy-related claims are:
New York 150,000
New Jersey 60,000
Connecticut 8,000
Maryland 5,500
Massachusetts 5,000
Virginia 4,500
Ohio 4,000
Pennsylvania 4,000
Delaware 2,000
New Hampshire 2,000
North Carolina 1,500
District of Columbia 1,000
Rhode Island 1,000
West Virginia 1,000
Maine 500
Vermont 500
