‘Bandit’ Tow Companies Target LA Wildfire Victims

After the Eaton Fire leveled more than 9,400 structures in the Altadena community in January, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger spotted a disturbing Facebook post titled “Eaton Fire Hall of Shame.”

An Altadena resident posted that a tow company called her husband in the middle of the night during the fire, claiming the city had authorized it to tow their car.  Weeks later they learned the company had taken the vehicle to Ontario and was demanding $3,000 to return it.

Other residents responded to the post, recounting similar scams.

Barger asked the residents to contact her if they had suspicious experiences with tow companies amid the wildfire, said Helen Chavez Garcia, spokesperson for the supervisor’s office.

“She thought it was egregious that just one person experienced this,” Chavez Garcia said. “As more information came to her office, we found out that there were more people affected by this.”

When Barger contacted the Inland Empire Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force, she learned  the Eaton Fire was just the latest occasion when “bandit” tow companies targeted motorists, hauling cars to shops in Riverside or San Bernardino counties and then holding them for ransoms of thousands of dollars.

“They did it before there was any perimeter set up, before the (California Highway Patrol) got there, while the fire was still going,” said task force supervisor Sgt. Regina Garay. “A lot of people have filed stolen car claims; tow companies just took them.”

Officials don’t know how many cars were fraudulently towed.

Last year, the task force — which includes the state Department of Insurance, California Highway Patrol and Riverside and San Bernardino County district attorneys —  investigated and charged 16 people accused of stealing money, property or personal information in similar auto fraud incidents starting in 2022. That alleged auto fraud ring made false insurance claims for the towed vehicles totalling more than $216,932, the Insurance Department said.

In those cases, unscrupulous tow truck operators responded to reported accidents, claiming to represent drivers’ insurance companies, the department said.

“(Drivers) are already nervous, scared, maybe even hurt,” Garay said. Tow companies “would tow the car to a body shop and have them sign papers, offer them a ride home. And then they find the body shop is holding their car for ransom … for a large ransom.”

Investigators don’t have evidence that the fraud ring cases were connected to the Eaton Fire incidents, Garay said.

“It’s not that it has to do directly with the case, it just happens to be bandit tow companies,” she said.

The state Insurance Department cautioned drivers to look for certain red flags. Tow truck drivers may show up within minutes of an accident, ask the driver to sign documents and then take the car to a specific body shop rather than requesting the driver’s preferred shop.

Anyone who suspects a tow company is not legitimate should verify it with their insurance company or wait for the Highway Patrol to confirm it. Drivers shouldn’t sign any documents at an accident site without contacting their insurance company.

Barger’s office said some wildfire survivors are still trying to recover their cars.

“I find it disgusting that these fraudulent tow operators exploited fire survivors during their time of distress,” Barger said in a statement. “Those behind this abhorrent scheme must be held accountable and brought to justice.”

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