FRAUD investigators uncovered a “complex and sophisticated” car insurance scam taking place in Wirral – because the conspirators were “friends” on Facebook.

Daniel Locke, of Harvey Road, Wallasey, claimed he was an innocent passenger when his Vauxhall Astra was hit by a rented car in the town’s Station Road.

Mr Locke launched a damages claim for minor injuries against the other driver, James Stuart, and his insurers, AXA Corporate Solutions Services Ltd.

But when investigators for AXA looked into the crash, they found a series of scam accidents that had taken place in the same area in very similar circumstances, all involving a group of young people.

In each crash, the two cars, one of which was usually rented, would be packed with people in order to make sure that as many insurance claims could be filed as possible.

Throwing out Mr Locke's claim at London’s High Court yesterday, Judge Andrew Edis, QC, told how investigators had likened the "accident" to eight other similar smashes.

He said: "There are links between persons who feature as drivers or passengers, sometimes because there are known relationships, common addresses, and sometimes because of a Facebook research.

"This suggests a strikingly high level of accidental injury among a limited population of predominantly young people in the same geographical area."