Caught on camera: Pedestrian scammer claims he was hit, demands money

Man seen allegedly staging fake accident Drivers are warning other motorists to be on the lookout for a man who allegedly stages fake accidents.

A driver is issuing a warning to others after being targeted by an alleged fraudster who stages fake accidents at Metro Vancouver mall parking lots and demands settlement money after.

The suspected scammer, a pedestrian, was caught on camera after allegedly faking an accident at the Metrotown mall in Burnaby earlier this week. The driver posted the incident to Reddit, warning about an "ICBC insurance fraudster in Vancouver."

According to the post, man allegedly knocked on the back of the driver's car. When she got out, she alleges he pretended to be hurt and asked if she wanted to call ICBC or "settle." She wrote that she immediately sensed he was scamming her, and started taking photos and calling the police.

In the video the driver posted, she is heard asking the man about going to the emergency room. He replies that he's not hurt and tells her to go away, swatting at the camera before the video ends.

A representative from the mall told CTV News that their security is aware of the incident.

Many videos on YouTube show pedestrians who appear to purposefully run into vehicles and then ask drivers for money. Now, the phenomenon appears to have spread to Vancouver.

Another video shot in Richmond appears to show the same pedestrian from Metrotown getting the cash he asked for.

"$100 is okay, I will not report," the pedestrian says in that video.

In another Reddit post, someone alleges a pedestrian in the Metrotown parking lot ran up and bumped a driver's car as he was pulling out of a parking stall. The pedestrian also asked for money.

CTV spoke with a fourth driver who said he was backing out of a parking stall at the Richmond Mall when he heard a tap on his glass. He said a pedestrian told him he had been hit and wanted more than $1,000 to not call the RCMP.

When the driver offered to call 911, he said the pedestrian walked away.

It is not known if the incidents are connected.

Cpl. Daniela Panesar of the Burnaby RCMP says if drivers ever find themselves in a situation they suspect could be fraud, they should call police immediately.

"If the person offers to negotiate a settlement, that's a cue that there's something funny going on," she said.

Panesar said drivers should never negotiate a settlement and instead should take down contact information for everyone involved, including witnesses, and take pictures of the scene until police arrive.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Breanna Karstens-Smith