Seven people deny conspiracy to defraud at Cardiff Crown Court after six insurance claims worth £144,000 were made between 2009 and 2011.
Stephen Pegram, 49, of Blackwood, Caerphilly county, was paid £4,200 when his car was written off.
Nicola Cook, 41, of Hengoed, received £5,500 in a separate injury claim.
Mr Pegram said he "was shocked" to discover claims had been made for other accidents on High Street, Pengam, where he crashed in July 2009.
After prosecutor Christopher Clee suggested the crash he was involved in did not happen, he said: "It was a genuine accident.
"I don't know if he drove into me or if it was an accident. But it happened."
Ms Cook received her money after claiming for neck and back injuries when she was a back seat passenger in a crash in Oakdale in August 2009.
She told the court she needed physiotherapy afterwards, saying "it was a genuine collision".
"I heard a thump on the vehicle... I was shocked."
Mr Clee said all seven defendants were involved in insurance fraud following collisions "that did not happen".
The case continues.

She was performing her sell-out tour at the SSE Hydro on Friday night when a chain fell from the production rigging onto a woman in the audience.
She was taken to hospital "as a precaution", a spokesman for the venue said.
Adele later tweeted: "I'm so sorry to hear that someone got hurt at my show tonight.
"It's being investigated to ensure it won't happen again. X"
A spokesman for the venue said: "The lady was attended to by our own medical team and then taken to hospital as a precaution.
"The safety of every member of our audience is paramount and we are currently working with the promoter's production team to establish why this happened and to ensure it does not happen again."
Stuart Duffy, who was at the show, said the lights came up and other spectators were moved.
He posted a picture on Twitter of the rigging that appeared to have malfunctioned.
Adele will perform a second show at the 13,000-capacity arena on Saturday.
Her album 25 stayed at the number one spot for the 12th consecutive week, denying rock band James - who had been leading the chart earlier in the week - the top spot.
Two people accused of falsely claiming nearly £10,000 in a so-called crash for cash scheme have denied lying about accidents.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
Pop star Adele has apologised after a fan was injured by a falling chain at a concert in Glasgow.