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| Cook County sues tow truck companies over alleged scams February 24, 7:11 PM Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez has filed a civil lawsuit against four Chicago area tow truck companies, alleging that the companies scammed drivers out of thousands of dollars each. Anita Alvarez alleges that the towing companies would listen on police scanners for news of a car accident, and then rush to the scene. The towing companies would allegedly take advantage of the unfortunate driver, telling him or her that they would tow the disabled car, and that insurance would cover this cost. Then, when the drivers would try to get their cars back, the tow companies would allegedly charge up to $6,500 to release the car, including charges for services that were not performed and equipment that was not used. The defendant towing companies are Road America Automotive, City Wide Auto, Pro Auto, Show time Towing, and their owners, Azzam Al-Hindi, Tareq Al-Hindi, Saher Ashkar, and Adel Suhail. Having heard about this lawsuit and the abuses alleged, I think that I myself may very well have narrowly avoided this type of alleged scam. About 5 years ago, a driver sideswiped my car and caused me to hit a wall on I-90/94 on the North Side. My car suffered a broken wheel, a broken radiator, and other damage that made it un drivable. The IDOT road crew kindly towed my car from the interstate to an exit ramp, and within minutes a privately owned tow truck appeared. I didn't call this truck, and neither did the state trooper nor the IDOT road crew. This tow truck operator first tried to convince me to let him tow my car, but I declined. The tow truck operator didn't leave, and while I was on the phone a few feet away, tried to tell the state trooper that he had my permission to tow my car to his lot. I saw what was going on and told him to leave in front of the state trooper, at which point he finally drove off. Of course I cannot say for sure what the intentions of that tow truck driver were, however I'm glad that I didn't let him tow my car. Anyone who believes they have been victimized in such a towing scam should contact the Cook County State's Attorney's Consumer Fraud Hot line at 312-603-8700. |
Towing Scams - Beware of bandit tow truck operators Dishonest tow truck operators are hauling away more than illegally parked cars in these widely-practiced towing scams Everyone knows that most tow truck operators are decent, hard-working people. The come rescue your vehicle when its broken down or been in an accident and take it wherever you ask them to. Besides this valuable service, tow trucks also clear the city streets and private parking lots of illegally parked vehicles. Parking spots are becoming harder and harder to find and business owners need to have them available for customers to park in. Illegal parking can hurt the revenues of businesses if there is nowhere to park. As you can see, towing is a legitimate business that serves the needs of the consumer. So what is driving all this talk about towing scams and "bandit" tow truck operators? "Bandit" tow operators are differentiated from legitimate tow operators in their practice of monitoring private parking lots in order to tow away vehicles whose owners are not patrons of the businesses associated with that lot. Often, the tow operators dismiss the fact that the car owner does patronize a business associated with the lot before going elsewhere. Know your rights! If you are a victim of a "bandit" tow truck operator, remember these facts: The tow operator does not have a legal lien on your vehicle until it is in transit on a public highway. If you car is already on the tow truck, but still in the parking lot, the tow operator can ask you for half of what an Official Police Garage would charge for towing. If you will not or cannot pay the requested amount, the issue becomes a civil matter, and the tow operator must release your vehicle if you have caught him in the act and if he has not left the property. Here are some classic towing scams: In some scams, businesses are ripped off by con artists posing as tow truck operators. They call the business telling them that they are bringing a vehicle in for repairs or services. The scammer does whatever paperwork is required then hand the business owner or employee the keys. The business then pays the tow truck operator the towing fee thinking they will be reimbursed the money. Only there is no car being towed and the keys are just some random keys that go to who knows what. In many areas there are laws against towing companies driving around looking for parking violations so that they can tow vehicles away. The towing company gets around this by having another company do the looking for it. Sometimes the same person that owns the towing company owns the business actively looking for cars to tow. Believe it or not, this is perfectly legal in many areas. To make matters worse, these unscrupulous towing companies target low-income housing and apartment complexes. Some bandit towing operations profile vehicles for the best chance at successfully making money. They don't want old, beat up cars because their owners are usually low-income people that might not be able to afford the impound fees. In that case the towing company might have to deal with police to have the vehicle disposed of and in the meantime if takes up valuable lot space. The also shun more expensive models like Mercedes, Porsche and BMW because the of the possibility of damage being done to the car during the tow. Reimbursement due to tow damage is rare but all the same they don't want to run the risk of getting sued. This leaves everyone else a potential target with Toyota and Honda topping their favorites list. Sometimes a tow truck operator will try to insist that your vehicle be towed to "his" shop for servicing. Don't give into this. They should be able to tow your car wherever you need it to be towed. If they won't do it try to find someone else to tow your car where you'd like it to go. While the towing industry is rife with fraud most tow truck operators are completely legitimate and many are working with their states to impose regulations that might limit fraud and improve the their image. While you would think everyone would be behind such legislation considering the current state of affairs AAA Auto Club South is opposes the proposed legislation under consideration in the state of Florida. They warn that the result would in effect be a tow tax that consumers would end up paying needlessly. Some independent towing groups are also against the legislation which they call a joke because the funding only allows for the hiring of 10 people statewide to regulate this program. How to avoid Tow Truck Scams Know the local laws concerning towing Do not leave the property of a business you are parking at. I know this is easier said than done but if a bandit tow truck operator is watching that particular parking lot your vehicle could be hooked up and towed away in minutes. If you think you are the victim of a towing scam take the time to fill out a police report. If you just let it go not only are you out hundreds of dollars but the bandit tower can continue to prey on people. So do your part to fight these scams and get your report filed with the police! |