LA Tow Truck Crime Syndicate That Held Wrecked Vehicles Hostage Disrupted by Authorities

      Local and state authorities have pressed charges against 16 individuals allegedly involved in a fraud scheme targeting accident victims in Los Angeles, California. This scheme purportedly involved sending a tow truck to the scene of an accident to tow away the damaged vehicle and effectively hold it for ransom until the owner paid a significant fee for its release. While scams involving drivers are not uncommon, this case stands out due to the purported participation of a corrupt employee from the California Highway Patrol.

      According to law enforcement officials, this scam has become widespread in Southern California. It begins with a traffic accident—whether you're the one at fault or not, as soon as you pull over to the side of the road, a tow truck appears offering assistance. Slightly bewildered and shaken, you may agree to their help. The driver then takes your damaged vehicle to a body shop and refuses to release it until you pay what investigators describe as "a large amount of money." The exact amount remains unclear, but the fraud ring is said to have made around $217,000 from scamming victims in California.

      Establishing this scheme appears to have required considerable resources, as the members of the ring were not merely searching for minor accidents. The investigation initiated in November 2022 when the Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Task Force uncovered that a non-sworn employee of the California Highway Patrol was selling traffic collision report face pages containing personal information about those involved in accidents. The ring would purchase this information and, armed with addresses and phone numbers, they would contact future victims, claiming to represent their insurance company. They would inform the vehicle owner that their car was going to a repair shop, dispatch a tow truck, and transport the vehicle to a place called Certified Auto in Buena Park, Orange County. In essence, they were stealing the vehicle.

      Certified Auto would then request a cash payment from the vehicle owner's legitimate insurance company to release the car. If the insurance company consented to pay, it incurred a loss. If the company declined, which investigators assert typically happened, the car owner was left to pay out of their own pocket to retrieve their vehicle.

      In response to these accident-related scams, California officials released a video to alert drivers. Sixteen individuals have been charged thus far, and it appears the fraud ring is no longer operating; however, that does not necessarily mean another one won’t emerge to attempt a similar scheme. The Department of Insurance has urged drivers to remain vigilant for warning signs, such as a tow truck arriving shortly after an accident, a towing company dictating where your vehicle will be taken instead of asking your preference, and tow truck drivers requesting signatures or stating that someone will contact you.

      The individuals charged in this case range in age from 20 to 72, and this is not their first encounter with law enforcement. In 2024, authorities apprehended the same ring for committing a similar scam. Last year, they directed vehicles to a shop named CA Collision and made over $353,000 before being apprehended.

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