Victims of car collisions may be more concerned when insurance companies warn drivers Realize a growing number of scams Involved in a trailer company.
Chris Stroisch, vice president of public affairs and communications at the National Insurance Crime Agency (NICB), shared with Fox News Digital that “predatory tolls have been very intense in the United States, up 89% over the past three years.”
“We see Large and small cities. So you’re seeing predatory traction in big cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., but you’re also seeing it in small communities like Des Moines, Iowa. ”
Stroisch explained that these predatory towers are “following this money” and will operate anywhere they can make the most profit.
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A trailer takes the car to a repair shop. (Getty Image)
“What we’re seeing is that we hear a lot of sad stories, unfortunately,” Strosch said. “Entering predatory towers that are recklessly driven, they’ve even been involved in turf wars and even shootings related to predatory towing, all of which have led to very tragic but avoided death. So, in fact, this is this growing problem we’ve seen over the past three years.”
The California Insurance Bureau responded to the NICB warning, adding that it had already had an upside, with some trailer companies targeting drivers involved in the crash by picking up cars and then kidning them for a lot of money.
“This type of scam is preying on drivers at its most vulnerable moments (after the accident) when they should focus on safety and the next step, rather than fighting to get the vehicle back,” insurance specialist Ricardo Lara said in a statement. “Our department is committed to protecting Californians from fraud, which is an important step to ensure drivers know warning signs and how to protect themselves.”
A spokesman for the agency told Fox News Numbers that, for now, they see two major scams. One involves a tow driver who appears immediately after the crash and provides assistance to another driver by dragging the vehicle to the body shop.
“The tow driver appeared at the scene of the accident and misrepresented the crash victim, which was not the case,” the agency said. “The suspects stole the victim’s vehicle or towed the body yard or the trailer yard with a false pretext. They then charged the victim or the insurance company a high fee to free the vehicle.”
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California officials say a common scam involves a tow driver who appears immediately after the crash and offers to help another driver by dragging the vehicle to the body shop. (Getty Image)
The second scam the agency said was that what they saw was a tow driver Stealing personal information Be an employee of the law enforcement or insurance company from the victim.
A California Insurance Agency spokesman said: “The suspect contacted the crash victim and claimed to be an employee of the victim’s insurance company, which indicated that they would tow the vehicle to an insurance company-approved body shop and then steal/torn the vehicle under false pretexts.”
Stroisch added that they tell consumers there are two rules of thumb.
“The first thing, if you don’t ask for it, turn it down,” Strosch said. “If you have an accident and a tow company is on the scene, we tell people to wait for law enforcement to arrive. Then, once that tow company is on the scene, know or know as much as you can before towing.”
The California Insurance Bureau has shared some red flag drivers should be aware of to make sure they are not victims of this scam, including:
- If the trailer appears within minutes of the accident, then you have time to call anyone.
- If the trailer driver tells you which body shop, your car is going to go, rather than working with you to determine where the vehicle is going.
- If the trailer driver tells you that someone will contact you by phone or ask you to sign the documents.
- If the trailer driver asks you to provide you with ride facilities.
In response to the growing trend of scams, the agency has created three law enforcement task forces in Southern California to investigate organized auto insurance fraud.
Task Force by CDI Detectives, from California Highway Patrol, The agency explained that investigators from the local district attorney’s office added that it manages the task force.
“These task forces involved these crimes, filed criminal charges with the District Attorney’s office and arrested suspects. In addition, we work with other state agencies, such as the Automobile Maintenance Bureau, to refer administrative sanctions cases,” the agency said.
“We also spend a lot of time educating our state and local law enforcement partners to help us better recognize this activity, and we have been issuing public service announcements to raise public awareness.”
The California Highway Patrol is part of the state’s efforts to investigate auto insurance fraud. CHP El Cajon)
According to the department, the Inland Empire Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force has investigated several cases, including the allegations that resulted in arraignment and the charges against 16. Southern California residents.
“The task force’s investigation found that the fraud ring allegedly pursued fraudulent insurance claims to illegally collect more than $216,932,” the department said in a statement. “The investigation found that the massive organized auto insurance fraud ring was involved in a variety of programs, including hostages and criminal collisions.”
What the department shared is that the same ring is Collected before In a similar plan for vehicles stolen from fake excuses in San Bernardino County.
Stroisch Share Some of these operators even have more than 10 times the usual cost of the trailer, and then take the vehicle hostage in the process.
“The average cost of a trailer is $109, but the costs we’re seeing soaring, and the costs we’re seeing are $10, 15, 16 and 17,000, which are full of absorbent fees and are very vague about what people actually pay for all the vehicles that these vehicles have,” Stroisch explained. ”
Officials say that while most trailer companies have prestige, unlicensed predatory trailers issued warnings at the most vulnerable drivers. (Getty Image)
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“If you have an accident, get as much information as possible about the trailer company and wait for law enforcement to arrive first.”
While towing scams are nothing new, the California Insurance Agency said they are rising since 2023, adding more than 1,500 reports.
“We don’t have statistics on this type of scam, but in 2024, CDI received 13,870 referrals suspected of alleged auto insurance fraud from insurance companies, government agencies and the public, which have increased since 2023 and we have received 12,363.”
The department said it is urging any driver who believes they may be in this situation to verify the trailer with the insurance company or wait for CHP to verify that the CHP is dispatched by CHP and has not signed any documents before you speak with their insurance company.
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Strosch says The biggest thing the bureau has seen right now is the lack of laws and policies in some cities and states.
“Every state, every municipality is different, and some states have laws against predatory towing. They have laws that need to license trailers. Their laws require transparent laws around expense schedules, but there are many cities and states that don’t,” Stroisch explained. “So, I think from the NICB perspective, we recommend all legislators at all levels, work together and take steps to help prevent this.”
Stroisch suggested that banning accident-scene bidding is an example of how to foil predatory tows.
“That’s where a lot of it happens. These are just trailer companies that appear on site, so the accident site bidding is prohibited first. Therefore, we do encourage legislators to pass legislation together.
“We are currently monitoring 107 different bills in 37 states related to predatory towing. So to have many bills at some stage, it just shows the issues we are seeing right now.”
Stepheny Price is a writer at Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, state crime cases, illegal immigration and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
