It's not as if the insurance company pays you any higher a replacement value than you could have sold the car for on the open market. So in committing a series of crimes, i.e. insurance fraud, arson etc the perpetrator doesn't even have the benefit of economic gain if he indeed "get's away with it." The problem with leaving your car to be stolen is that it might actually be recovered, in which case, not only do you get the unwanted car back.