Authorities say allegedly cheated on their cars in the first few days of the devastating fire, allegedly preying on vulnerable Eaton fire victims, and then demanded an excessive fee to get them back.
On Monday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued a statement urging any Altadner residents contacted by a trailer company in suspicious circumstances to report their experience to the Inland Empire Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force.
“I feel sick that these fraudulent tow operators exploited firefighter survivors when they were in trouble,” Bag said. “The people behind this abhorrent plan must be held accountable and brought to justice.”
From January 7 to 10, the trailer operator erroneously claimed to have been signed by Altadena officials, according to a press release issued by Barger’s office. They will then tow the car to an undisclosed location and charge a high fee to return it to the owner.
Victims are often asked to provide photos of their driver’s license to the tow truck bandits. Some of the vehicles were stored in Riverside or San Bernardino County, authorities said.
Last week, the California Insurance Agency released Public Service Announcement The increase in vehicle scams about trailer companies involving accident drivers.
According to the department, the scammers usually appear immediately after a collision and offer to help the driver by dragging the vehicle to a specific body shop. Body shops then force drivers to pay a lot of money, usually not covered by insurance, to retrieve the vehicle.
A common red flag that people are paying attention to is a trailer that appears within minutes of an accident. The driver insists on taking the car to a specific body shop; the driver asks you to sign documents; the driver asks you to share the ride on your behalf.
“This scam is the most vulnerable moment after the accident, when they should focus on safety and the next step, not for the sake of Fight back the vehicle.” “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.”
Recent investigations into the tow truck scam circle have led to allegations of 16 Southern California residents. The ring is accused of engaging in a variety of programs, including filing fraudulent insurance claims, illegally charging more than $200,000, kidnapping a vehicle hostage and intentionally causing a collision.
The members of the same ring are Collected before In a similar plan, a vehicle was towed under false pretexts and brought to a body shop in San Bernardino County.
Eaton Fire Survivors believed they were targeted by the tow gangsters and asked to contact the Sgt. Regina Garay of the Inland Empire Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force (909) 919-2242.
Other trailer victims can contact the State Insurance Bureau at (800) 927-4357 for assistance.
