In a statement, the police explained that suspects select the victims in car parks and the follow them as they begin to drive away.


“After a few moments of following behind the victims, they honk insistently and try to stop drivers to then start a dialogue”, the police said.


The suspects then accuse the victims of causing damage to their vehicles (by distraction or during manoeuvres), and then pressure the drivers and try to intimidate them in order to get money to repair the damage, supposedly caused by the victim.


The police said that suspects “claim to be in a hurry and cannot wait for the police or complete an insurance form”.


According to the police, “the suspects’ vehicles are actually damaged and sometimes, to give credibility to their story, they cause some damage to the victims’ vehicles”.


The objective is to try to obtain money for the supposed repair of the vehicles.


The police added that since the beginning of the year, 30 frauds of this kind have been recorded, two suspects have been arrested and nine others identified.


For this reason, the PSP advises the citizens of Lisbon to call the authorities to the scene whenever they are involved in a road accident that they have not noticed and to never agree if they are asked for money.


“Always take note of the vehicle (registration number, make, model and colour) in which the suspect(s) is (are) and if it is a case of fraud, the suspects will leave when they are told that the police will be called”, they added.