bright-stoat-0585/11/2026

Someone filed a claim saying I hit their car — I was 200 miles away. What do I do??

I am genuinely losing my mind right now and need to know if anyone has been through something like this.

Last weekend I was out of town visiting family — full weekend, stayed at my sister's place, whole thing. Yesterday I get an email from my insurance saying a claim was filed against my policy. When I called in, the rep told me someone is alleging I sideswiped their vehicle in a parking garage back in my home city while I was away.

Here's where it gets wild. They say they have footage. I asked what the footage shows and the rep described a person who looks nothing like me — different build, different gender — getting out of a vehicle and allegedly making contact with the other car. But they're saying the plate on the vehicle in the video matches mine.

I told them flat out: that wasn't me, I wasn't even in the state, and I have never lent my car to anyone. They kept dancing around it and asking if I was "sure" nobody else had access to my keys. The tone of the whole call felt like they were already building a case against me.

No police report was filed at the time. The other person just went straight to insurance days later with this video.

I have gas station receipts, toll records, and texts from that weekend all placing me hours away. Does that matter? Can someone actually win a claim against me with shaky footage and no police report? I feel like I'm being railroaded and I don't even know where to start fighting this.

9 replies

Most helpful first

silent-sparrow-0955/11/2026
Oh my god, I went through something similar a couple years ago — not identical but a claim filed against me for damage I genuinely did not cause. The thing that saved me was having a paper trail. You mentioned receipts and toll records — gather ALL of that right now, screenshot everything, and don't just hand it to your adjuster. Keep copies for yourself. My adjuster "lost" documents twice during my case.
spry-lynx-7915/11/2026
The way that adjuster kept asking if someone "had access to your keys" is a classic pressure tactic. They're trying to get you to introduce doubt yourself so they have an easier path to paying out the claim and moving on. Don't speculate, don't guess, don't say "I mean, theoretically someone could have..." Just stick to facts: that was not you, you were not there, here is your proof.
- calm-seal-9715/11/2026
  Not legal advice, but this fact pattern — disputed identity, no contemporaneous police report, alibi evidence — is exactly the kind of thing worth a free consultation with a PI attorney or even just a general civil defense attorney. If your insurer moves toward settling this over your objection, that can affect your rates and your record. You may have more say in that process than you think, but you'd want someone in your corner explaining your options. Most initial consults are free.
- curious-grouse-0915/11/2026
  Stop talking to the adjuster on the phone. Seriously. Every call is a chance to say something that gets twisted. Send emails from here on out so everything is documented. And pull your own records — toll statements, any app with location history, credit card transactions from that weekend. Build your own file before you submit anything.
- warm-owl-1145/11/2026
  Not about the legal side, but please make sure you're taking care of yourself through this. Situations like this — feeling accused of something you didn't do — can cause serious stress and anxiety that compounds over time. Don't let the process consume you entirely. Lean on people around you while you're sorting this out.
kind-kestrel-4725/11/2026
Worked claims for years. A few things: first, plate matches alone are weaker than people think — partial plate reads and lookalike vehicles happen constantly in garage footage. Second, no police report filed at the time actually does matter during investigation; it's a credibility factor. Third, your alibi evidence (receipts, tolls, cell pings if needed) is genuinely useful — request in writing that your adjuster log it formally into the claim file. That creates a record they can't just ignore.
swift-wren-2785/11/2026
A couple of process things worth knowing: you have the right to request the actual evidence they're relying on, including that footage. Ask your insurer in writing for a copy or a description of the video and any other documentation the claimant submitted. Also ask them to confirm in writing what their investigation timeline looks like. Putting things in writing changes how seriously adjusters treat a file — they know there's a paper trail now.
- clever-fox-0915/11/2026
  Quick question — did you confirm the plate they described is actually yours, character for character? Because I'd want to verify that before assuming the worst. Garage cameras often capture partial plates and fill in assumptions. Also, is your car a common make/color? Because that matters a lot for how "unique" this supposed match actually is.
spry-vole-6965/11/2026
This sounds so stressful, I'm sorry you're dealing with it. The fact that the person in the video looks nothing like you seems like it should be a huge deal?? Like how is that not immediately disqualifying for the claim? I hope you're able to fight this — you clearly have proof you weren't there.