Following is an article recently published in a Chicago area newspaper. One of the best defenses against such scams is foresight. Keep phone numbers handy for your auto service providers. Call and get a tow truck on the way as soon as possible if your car becomes disabled.
If you choose a tow company that also makes repairs, you may avoid a second tow from the tow company to a repair facility.
March 18, 2008
Predatory tow truck Are cops ’special equipment’ in tow scams?
operators view Chicago police officers as “special equipment” in their scams.
I’ve mentioned in previous columns that wreck chasers are charging motorists involved in accidents on Chicago streets as much as $3,500 for a tow that should cost no more than $150.
Among the unexplained itemized charges on these tow bills is one labeled “special equipment” that ranges from $250 to $995.
No one has been able to explain to me what “special equipment” was used in any of these tows.
But I recently received a call from a fellow who runs a legitimate tow truck business in the south suburbs and claims to know what the charge is for and how the money is used.
“I’ve talked to the people who run these wreck-chasing companies, and they tell me the special equipment charge is the kickback they pay Chicago cops to do business,” the fellow said.
I called the Chicago police news affairs office last Thursday, hoping to speak to new Supt. Jody Weis, a former FBI agent, about the tow truck scams and possible police involvement.
Weis never returned my phone call or an e-mail I sent seeking comment.
On Monday, I called again and spoke to Monique Bond, the superintendent’s spokeswoman.
At first Bond seemed unclear about the nature of the tow truck problem and asked me if I had any specific examples.
I told her that I had been writing about the tow truck scams for a year and that if Weis wanted specifics, all he had to do was contact any major auto insurance company doing business in Illinois, any auto body shop in the Chicago area or any of the dozens of legitimate towing firms that have had their reputations smeared by the predatory operators.
I told Bond that since the new superintendent had been hired to clean up the department’s reputation, I could not accept her answer that he needed more information.
That’s when Bond said, “There is an ongoing investigation into this matter. This has gone to a higher level. That’s all I can say.”
That could be a reference to an FBI investigation that has been rumored for some time. But if the feds are looking into the tow truck scams, they sure are taking their sweet time.
Only a few days after reporting that tow truck charges at accident scenes had hit new highs of $3,500 on the streets of Chicago, I received a call Monday about a charge of $4,800.
There are now indications that some of these predatory firms are getting so greedy that they actually stage accidents instead of waiting for them to happen.
The sleazeball towing firm sends out a car to cause an accident with a victim who will eventually be handed one of these enormous tow bills.
Motorists rarely complain about the charges because the insurance companies pick up the cost. But the companies pass those costs along to the rest of us in the form of higher insurance premiums.
Many suburbs have contracts with towing companies that include regulations and rate limits.
If a predatory tow truck firm shows up at the scene of a suburban accident, police simply tell them to go away and wait for the contract operator to show up.
But that doesn’t happen in Chicago, where piracy and wreck-chasing is encouraged.
A representative for U-Haul recently told me the company suspects that some of these tow truck firms are actually sending their people in to rent trucks that then end up in accidents on Chicago streets.
It is not unheard of for U-Haul to then receive a bill of $10,000 for the tow. The rental truck is basically held hostage in a lot until the U-Haul dealer pays up.
I’ve gotten the same kinds of calls from rental car agencies with the same suspicions.
“These guys are just laughing at everyone, increasing their fees and piling up the cash,” said J.R. Bramlett, the owner of Airline Towing in Calumet Park and former president of the Professional Towing and Recovery Operators of Illinois.
“They’ve told me they plan on retiring rich men on a sandy beach in some foreign country before law enforcement comes for them.”
Unless Weis wants Chicago police officers looked upon as “special equipment” in an insurance scam, he should take steps to end this thievery.
Police officers ought to be protecting the public, not the profits of predatory tow truck operators.
Phil Kadner can be reached at pkadner@southtownstar.com or (708) 633-6787.