Wing mirror scam - Hillingdon drivers be aware

There have been several reports today, and in recent days, regarding the “wing mirror scam” in which an object is thrown at your vehicle whilst you are moving to give you the impression that you have struck something onyour nearside.

This is followed by a vehicle trying to flag you down by flashing headlights or similar behaviour.

When you stop to find out what the problem is, the other driver falsely accuses you of driving past their vehicle and striking their wing mirror with yours.  They show you their vehicle with the wing mirror hanging off.  They may also go round to your nearside wing mirror and nudge it out of place with their body out of your field of view, thereby implying that there is evidence that it was your fault.

What to do if this happens to you

Don't be fooled - this is a scam.  The vast majority of good drivers will be 100% aware if they strike something accidentally.  The above sequence is a known scam that has happened on our Borough over many months, and is happening right now

If this happens to you, keep calm and try and gather as much information as possible whilst maintaining your own safety.  The best information will most likely come from a dashcam if you have one - especially if it has a rear view camera (also useful for rear end shunts).

In this situation, if you know that you have not struck another vehicle then it's a crime in progress and you can call 999 from inside your vehicle if it is safe to do so.

The person/team carrying out this particular crime are using more than one vehicle, and their vehicle registration may be false, but the registration, make and colour of the vehicle involved are all vital pieces of information that the police can use against the perpetrators.

Please report all crime

Even if this happens to you and you realise you are being scammed and decide to drive on without stopping, it is really important that you report it - the locations of all of these incidents are vital in building a picture of hotspots for this series of scams.  Visit www.hillingdonnhw.co.uk for ways to report crime.