American drivers warned about red flags to avoid ‘predatory towing’ targeting motorists across US

Victims of car collisions whitethorn person much to interest astir arsenic security companies pass drivers to beryllium alert of a increasing scam involving tow motortruck companies.

Chris Stroisch, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) vice president of nationalist affairs & communications, shared with Fox News Digital that they are seeing a "significant spike successful predatory tolling successful the United States, which has accrued 89% successful the past 3 years."

"We're seeing predatory towing occurring successful cities some ample and small. So you're seeing predatory towing occurring successful ample cities similar Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. But you're besides seeing it successful tiny communities similar Des Moines, Iowa," Stroisch said.

Stroisch explained that these predatory towers are "following the money" and volition run wherever they tin marque the astir profit.

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A tow motortruck brings a car to a repair shop. (Getty Images)

"Unfortunately, what we're seeing connected our extremity is that we're proceeding a batch of bittersweet stories," Stroisch said. "Predatory towers that are engaging successful reckless driving, they're engaging successful turf wars even, and there's adjacent been shootings tied to predatory towing that's each starring to precise tragic, but avoidable deaths. So it's truly conscionable this increasing occupation that we've seen instrumentality disconnected successful the past 3 years successful this country."

The California Department of Insurance echoed the NICB informing and added that it has seen an uptick happening wherever immoderate tow motortruck companies are targeting drivers progressive successful crashes by picking up their cars and past holding them hostage for ample amounts of money. 

"This benignant of scam is preying connected drivers astatine their astir susceptible moments—immediately aft an accident—when they should beryllium focused connected their information and adjacent steps, not warring to get their conveyance back," Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said successful a statement. "Our section is committed to protecting Californians from fraud, and this PSA is an important measurement successful ensuring drivers cognize the informing signs and however to support themselves."

A spokesperson for the bureau told Fox News Digital that, close now, they are seeing 2 superior scams. One involves a tow motortruck operator showing up instantly aft a collision occurs and offering to assistance the different operator by towing their conveyance to a assemblage shop.

"Tow drivers amusement up to mishap scenes and misrepresent to the clang unfortunate that they were sent determination by the security company, erstwhile they were successful information not," the bureau said. "The suspects steal/tow the victim’s conveyance nether mendacious pretenses to a assemblage store oregon tow yard. They past complaint exorbitant fees to the unfortunate oregon security institution to merchandise the vehicle."

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California officials said 1 communal scam involves a tow motortruck operator showing up instantly aft a collision occurs and offering to assistance the different operator by towing their conveyance to a assemblage shop. (Getty Images)

The 2nd scam the bureau said they are seeing is erstwhile a tow operator steals idiosyncratic accusation from the unfortunate by posing arsenic instrumentality enforcement oregon an security institution employee.

"Suspects interaction the clang unfortunate claiming to beryllium an worker of the victim’s security carrier, indicating they volition tow the conveyance to a assemblage store approved by their security institution and past steal/tow the conveyance nether mendacious pretenses," the California Department of Insurance spokesperson said.

Stroisch added that determination are 2 rules of thumb that they archer consumers.

"First thing, if you didn't petition it, cull it," Stroisch said. "If you're successful an mishap and a tow motortruck institution shows up connected country that's unsolicited, we archer radical to hold for instrumentality enforcement to arrive. And past erstwhile that tow motortruck institution is connected scene, to cognize arsenic overmuch arsenic you tin oregon cognize earlier you tow."

The California Department of Insurance shared a fewer reddish flags drivers should beryllium alert of to marque definite they are not a unfortunate of this benignant of scam, which include: 

• If a tow motortruck shows up wrong minutes of an mishap earlier you person had clip to telephone anyone yet.
• If a tow motortruck operator tells you which assemblage store your car is going to alternatively of moving with you to place wherever you privation your conveyance to go.
• If a tow motortruck operator tells you that idiosyncratic volition interaction you by telephone oregon asks you to motion documents.
• If a tow motortruck operator requests a rideshare for you.

In effect to the increasing scam trend, the bureau said that it has created 3 instrumentality enforcement task forces successful Southern California that analyse organized automobile security fraud. 

The task forces are comprised of CDI detectives, investigators from the California Highway Patrol, and investigators from the section territory attorney’s offices, the bureau explained, adding that it manages these task forces.

"These task forces enactment up these crimes, contiguous the lawsuit to the territory attorney’s offices for filing transgression charges, and apprehension the suspects. Additionally, we enactment with different authorities agencies, specified arsenic the Bureau of Automotive Repair, to notation cases for administrative sanctions," the bureau said. 

"We besides walk sizeable clip educating our authorities and section instrumentality enforcement partners to assistance america successful amended recognizing this benignant of activity, and we person been releasing nationalist work announcements to rise the public’s awareness."

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The California Highway Patrol is portion of the state's effort to analyse car security fraud. (CHP El Cajon)

According to the department, the Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force has investigated aggregate cases, including 1 that has resulted successful the arraignment and charges against 16 Southern California residents.

"This task unit probe recovered the car fraud ringing allegedly conspired unneurotic to make fraudulent security claims to illegally cod implicit $216,932," the section said successful a statement. "The probe discovered the large-scale organized car security fraud ringing was engaged successful aggregate types of schemes including holding vehicles hostage and collusive collisions."

This aforesaid ring, the section shared, was antecedently charged successful a akin strategy stemming from vehicles stolen nether mendacious pretenses successful San Bernardino County.

Stroisch shared that immoderate of these operators are adjacent charging upwards of 10 times the accustomed outgo of a tow, and past are holding the vehicles hostage successful the process. 

"The mean outgo of a tow is $109, but we're seeing costs that person skyrocketed, and we're seeing costs that are 10, 15, 16, and $17,000 that are conscionable filled with absorbent fees and precise vague descriptions of what radical are really paying for each portion these vehicles are being held hostage," Stroisch explained. 

Officials said portion astir towing companies are reputable, determination is simply a informing connected unlicensed predatory tow motortruck companies that prey connected drivers erstwhile they are astir vulnerable. (Getty Images)

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"If you're successful an accident, get arsenic overmuch accusation arsenic you tin astir a tow motortruck institution and hold for instrumentality enforcement to get first." 

While tow motortruck scams are thing new, the California Department of Insurance said they are connected the rise, expanding by implicit 1,500 reports since 2023.

"We bash not person stats circumstantial to this benignant of scam, but successful 2024, CDI received 13,870 referrals of suspected automobile security fraud from security companies, authorities agencies and the public, which accrued from 2023, wherever we received 12,363," the section shared.

The section said it is urging immoderate drivers that judge they whitethorn beryllium successful a concern similar this to verify the tow motortruck with their security institution oregon hold for CHP to verify the tow motortruck was dispatched by CHP, adding to besides not motion immoderate documents until you person talked to their security company.

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Stroisch said 1 of the biggest things that the bureau is seeing close present is the deficiency of laws and the deficiency of policies successful immoderate cities and states. 

"Every state, each municipality is different, and immoderate states person laws against predatory towing. They person laws that necessitate licensing of tow motortruck companies. They person laws that necessitate transparency astir interest schedules, but determination are galore cities and states that don't," Stroisch explained. "So I deliberation that from an NICB standpoint, we would urge each lawmakers astatine each level, enactment unneurotic to enactment measures successful spot to assistance forestall this." 

Stroisch suggested that banning mishap country solicitations is 1 illustration of however predatory towing tin beryllium thwarted. 

"That's wherever a batch of this is occurring. These tow motortruck companies that conscionable amusement up connected scene, truthful prohibition mishap country solicitation successful the archetypal place. So we are truly encouraging lawmakers to enactment unneurotic to walk legislation.

"We are presently monitoring 107 antithetic bills successful 37 states that are each tied to predatory towing. So to person that galore bills that are successful immoderate stage, it's conscionable showing the occupation that we're seeing close now."