Sure, everyone knows that committing auto insurance fraud is bad. But did you know you could actually be the victim of an auto insurance fraud, just because you happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time? There are hundreds of people out there just looking for a way to make a quick buck at your expense, and some of them are taking your auto insurance rates down with them. Here's a look at the three insurance scams every driver needs to know.

1) The Car Smasher

There's no way around it. Accidents happen. If you're wondering why all you have to do is take a good look at I-95 or Rt. 66 on a bad day. With bumper to bumper traffic, sizzling heats and cars slamming on their brakes left and right it's no wonder most people can't avoid a fender bender at one time or another!

The Car Smasher takes this innocent accident to a whole new level. Let's say you're driving along, trying to talk to your spouse on the cell phone to figure out the evening's plans while juggling traffic and adjusting your radio. Your inattention makes you just a little too slow to react, and you sideswipe a car while pulling out into traffic.

Technically, the accident is your fault. You're probably more than happy to exchange insurance information and make plans to file auto insurance claims. You drive away thinking the matter's been settled, only to find out that the auto insurance companies are accusing you of thousands of dollars in damages that you didn't do! What happened?

The Car Smasher happened. After the accident they took a baseball bat to their vehicle and did a whole lot more damage than you did, then blamed the whole thing on you! Is it fair? No, probably not. But you're still going to be the one paying the price.

To protect yourself from the Car Smasher, make sure you carry a disposable or digital camera around with you when you travel so you can take pictures on the scene. With a tangible record of what really happened the Car Smasher doesn't stand a chance.

2) The Good Samaritan

Traffic being what it is most of us have to depend on other drivers to let us change lanes, make a turn or merge into traffic once in a while. That goes double if you happen to live in Chicago, New York or Northern Virginia! You can usually find somebody with some manners that's willing to let you over, but every once in a while you'll run into the Good Samaritan.

The Good Samaritan is a man with a plan. He waves you into traffic with a benevolent smile, only to stomp on the gas the minute you start to merge. You crash, he says he doesn't know anything about waving you into traffic and walks away with a hefty insurance check while you have to suffer the damages to your auto insurance rates.

There's not a whole lot you can do about the Good Samaritan except keep a keen eye open when you're merging on other's benevolence. If you are in an accident, take the time to ask witnesses what happened. Every once in a while you'll get lucky and a pedestrian paying attention to something other than their iPod saw the whole thing. This can go a long way toward backing you up when you're trying to figure out whodunnit in a court of law.

3) The Rear Ender

This is probably the most sinister of the auto insurance claims scams you're going to run into, for the simple fact that it's almost impossible to avoid and even harder to prove. This scheming driver sidles along the highways in major urban areas waiting for the responsible driver who's doing their best to maintain proper following distance even under bumper to bumper conditions. They cut into the open space, and wham! You've rear ended them, they're filing an insurance claim for damages to their car, whiplash and anything else they can dream up.

The Rear Ender is another scam in which you're going to have to depend heavily on witnesses. Unfortunately, aside from proving the guy's an incompetent idiot that slipped into a spot where there was barely enough room for his car that's not going to do much-and if we slapped fines on every driver who did that most of Washington D.C. would be in jail right now!

If you think you've been the victim of a rear ender, let your auto insurance provider know-seriously. These drivers usually have a history of this kind of behavior, and if you're going to fight for your right to actually commit a crime before you get blamed for it you're going to need all the help you can get.