Orlando, FL -- (SBWire) -- 07/23/2012 --A video posted recently on YouTube provides evidence of an auto insurance scam that might have been successful, except for one thing: the intended victim had installed a dashboard camera. The video reveals a driver backing up on the highway to strike the vehicle behind him, then demanding payment for the damage to his vehicle.

“This type of auto insurance scam is unfortunately more common than one would think,” said Lee Rogers, of FloridaInsurance.com. “This person could have easily become a victim of insurance fraud if not for his dashboard camera. While this particular video was not from Florida, this type of fraud is common throughout the sunshine state.”

The video shows the view in front of Herman Sham, a motorist, as he drives on a busy highway. He appears to come to a stop, and the car in front of him appears to roll backward and strike his vehicle. Sham is seen getting out of his vehicle to discuss the situation with the driver in front, Raguruban Yogarajah. According to Sham, Yogarajah demanded a $500 payment, or he would call the police.

Sham explains in the video that rear-end collisions are generally assumed to be the fault of the driver in back, and that without the dashboard camera, he would have had no way to prove his innocence, and he would have faced an increased insurance premium.

Because Sham captured the event on video, it was Yogarajah who ended up in trouble. According to the Toronto Star, he is now facing charges of fraud, attempted fraud, and public mischief. Yogarajah denied the charges, saying that he was not sure who was at fault, but now realizes that, because his vehicle has a standard transmission, it rolled backward when he thought he was at a stop.

Sham posted the video on YouTube under the title, “scam foiled.” The video tells viewers, “This is why you need to install a camera in your car.”

To learn more or to get a Florida auto insurance quote, visit http://www.floridainsurance.com