What's an airbag? Well, it depends on your point of view.
If you're a typical consumer, an airbag is simply an auto safety device. If you're less than honest, an airbag is an opportunity to defraud. Since airbags were introduced several years ago, a number of different schemes have 'cropped up,' demonstrating, once again, the ingenuity of the fraud perpetrator.
One of the fastest-growing schemes in stolen auto parts involves airbags. For the convenience of auto mechanics, the bags are made to be easily removed. After all, once they've done their job, they must be replaced. Thieves have discovered that removing airbags is convenient for them, too. For only a few minutes work, these items can net anywhere from $360 to $1,800 per unit, depending on the make of the vehicle. After quick extraction, the stolen goods are sold to body shops, which use them as replacement parts, neatly sidestepping the usual high cost.
A second up-and-coming scam is employed by other unscrupulous body shops. These shops keep a stock of exploded airbags on hand. They use an exploded bag to temporarity replace the unexploded bag from a car that has been towed in for repair, and then claim that it had been deployed in the accident. Once the claim has been approved, the original unpopped bag is put back and the popped bag is returned to the shelf, ready to use again.
A third airbag scam involves using inappropriate replacement parts. Airbags are designed to be compatible with the size and weight of the car. Some shops simply replace deployed airbags with whatever type is available, which may be either too heavy or too light for the car.