Criminals in South Africa are crashing into cars to steal them – What to do if this happens to you

Security companies in South Africa are warning of a dangerous tactic criminals use to steal cars known as the “tap tap” trap.

Once they have identified a potential victim, the suspects will crash into the person’s car with the goal of having them get out to inspect the damage, making them an easy target to be hijacked.

Taking advantage of good behaviour

The tap tap trap is the latest criminal trend in South Africa to take advantage of existing laws and people’s good intentions, adding to the list of other methods like hijacking people who pull over to help a hitchhiker or someone with mechanical issues.

The plan is to identify a victim – likely a lone driver who is not paying much attention to their surroundings – and then bump into their car at a low to moderate speed, just enough to get the driver’s attention but not so hard as to badly damage the vehicle they plan on taking.

The incident is played off like a run-of-the-mill traffic accident, which is why this method is typically employed in traffic situations like an intersection where it is more believable that someone would zone out and hit another car from behind.

Adding to this, criminals will often use a female colleague as the decoy driver, as this is more likely to lower the victim’s guard when they assess the situation.

Once the target gets out to inspect the damage to their vehicle and swap insurance information with the other driver, the other hijackers jump out, overpower the victim, and steal their car.

What to do in this situation

The tap tap trap takes advantage of the South African National Road Traffic Act, which states that motorists must pull over in the event of an accident, regardless of how severe it is.

Drivers who fail to stop after an accident are liable to prosecution and, if convicted, can face fines of up to R36,000 or a prison term of up to nine years, according to Arrive Alive.

This presents a difficult situation for motorists, who may feel unsafe and want to drive away after being rear-ended by another car, but are worried about the legal consequences of fleeing.

According to Fidelity Security, the best thing to do in this situation is to signal to the other driver and drive to a busy location before getting out.

If it was not a legitimate accident, the motorists in the other vehicle are unlikely to follow.

If they do follow and you are still concerned that they are criminals, drive to the nearest police station and never attempt to lead them to your home.

As an additional safety measure, ensure that you can see the back wheels of the car in front of you at all times while driving to give yourself room to maneuver in the event you need to get away.

Naked Insurance confirmed that insurance companies will cover the damage to your vehicle in a tap tap incident provided you can prove the claim is legitimate by filling in an affidavit explaining what happened.