Police say it happens all the time and this case is a classic example.

A Lumby man is facing charges after lying to the cops about what really happened to his vehicle.

The unidentified man recently called RCMP to report that his vehicle had been stolen.

Corporal, Henry Proce, says the facts revealed otherwise.

"The vehicle was subsequently recovered having struck a tree. The investigation revealed the ‘victim’ had been drinking, had an accident and then reported his vehicle as stolen."

Proce says false reports of accidents are quite common.

"Surprisingly, these type of offenses are quite common. Police often deal with motorists reporting their vehicles as stolen in order to shift blame from themselves."