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Old 04-07-2012, 05:28 AM
 
10,135 posts, read 27,372,581 times
Reputation: 8398

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The scam is that thief calls tow company and asks for your car to be towed to somewhere else. They meet the tow truck, pay him, and he drops the car. Then they pick up the car with their truck and take it to the chop shop where its parts are as valuable as the car.

That way, when your neighbor calls you at work, they don't get arrested. It's all a big mistake and the driver on the scene has a cell phone number for the thief nothing more.

I defended the civil claim against the innocent tow driver.
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Old 04-07-2012, 07:54 AM
 
Location: Earth
4,237 posts, read 24,707,490 times
Reputation: 2274
Thank you Wilson, I had never heard of that one before. I suppose the legit tow truck driver is not required to ask the one asking for a tow, to present legit paperwork and identification, that the car is actually his?

It's sad you can't own or drive and enjoy a nice vehicle without having to worry about what might happen to it.

So your only other option seems to be you need to invest in a Lo Jack in your vehicle (hopefully your local PD has the gear needed to help you) and have a hell of a good insurance policy.
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Old 04-07-2012, 08:54 AM
 
10,135 posts, read 27,372,581 times
Reputation: 8398
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deez Nuttz View Post
Thank you Wilson, I had never heard of that one before. I suppose the legit tow truck driver is not required to ask the one asking for a tow, to present legit paperwork and identification, that the car is actually his?

It's sad you can't own or drive and enjoy a nice vehicle without having to worry about what might happen to it.

So your only other option seems to be you need to invest in a Lo Jack in your vehicle (hopefully your local PD has the gear needed to help you) and have a hell of a good insurance policy.

Reputable tow companies are supposed to get proof, but in our town there are 1000 tow trucks and 10 reputable tow companies. Everyone garage with a trusk is willing to take $75 for 15 minutes work. And, a lot of legitimate drivers who are stranded just don't have any paper on the car with them.

This has been going on for a long time.

Another twist is the insurance scam. Crooked owner leaves his car keys in it on I-65. Calls AAA and tells them it broke down on I-865. Tow truck does not find it. A week later, when crooked owner calls for the car at the repair, they never heard of it. By that time, car is gone, insurance company pays for stolen car.
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Old 04-07-2012, 10:23 AM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,794,286 times
Reputation: 29967
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilson513 View Post
The scam is that thief calls tow company and asks for your car to be towed to somewhere else. They meet the tow truck, pay him, and he drops the car. Then they pick up the car with their truck and take it to the chop shop where its parts are as valuable as the car.

That way, when your neighbor calls you at work, they don't get arrested. It's all a big mistake and the driver on the scene has a cell phone number for the thief nothing more.

I defended the civil claim against the innocent tow driver.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deez Nuttz View Post
Thank you Wilson, I had never heard of that one before. I suppose the legit tow truck driver is not required to ask the one asking for a tow, to present legit paperwork and identification, that the car is actually his?

It's sad you can't own or drive and enjoy a nice vehicle without having to worry about what might happen to it.

So your only other option seems to be you need to invest in a Lo Jack in your vehicle (hopefully your local PD has the gear needed to help you) and have a hell of a good insurance policy.
I've never had a tow truck driver tow one of my cars without asking for the keys (well, except for the bastard who stole my car). You would think the driver would do that much as a minimum to verify the person seeking the tow is the legitimate owner or at least has a stronger claim to right of possession than his word.
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Old 04-07-2012, 10:26 AM
 
Location: On the Chesapeake
45,004 posts, read 59,991,288 times
Reputation: 60548
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drover View Post
I've never had a tow truck driver tow one of my cars without asking for the keys. You would think the driver would do at least that much to verify the person seeking the tow is the legitimate owner or a stronger claim of right of possession than his word.

Most of the trucks where I live are rollbacks so keys are needed to put the car in neutral. I haven't seen a hook truck in years. That's why here the tow drivers were working with the thieves.
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Old 04-07-2012, 10:28 AM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,794,286 times
Reputation: 29967
Quote:
Originally Posted by North Beach Person View Post
Most of the trucks where I live are rollbacks so keys are needed to put the car in neutral. I haven't seen a hook truck in years. That's why here the tow drivers were working with the thieves.
Hook trucks are still in plentiful supply here. In fact with the newest ones the driver never even has to get out of the truck. You can see on in action in 12GO's video at about the 5:55 mark. The city loves these tow trucks for a quick hook-and-go from a tow zone before the driver has a chance to run out and move his car when he sees a tow truck trying to hook up. And of course they don't care if they ruin an AWD system by towing with 2 wheels on the ground; after all it was your fault for parking in a tow zone. They'll tell you to get bent and call your insurance company.
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Old 04-07-2012, 01:27 PM
 
202 posts, read 861,657 times
Reputation: 115
This is insane, I've had a car stolen twice but it was a more tradition smash the window and bust out the ignition. If criminals are using tow trucks then .nothing is safe regardless of anti-theft devices. The speed with which that truck picked up the car and the driver never had to get out of the truck.
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Old 04-07-2012, 01:45 PM
 
Location: Full time RV"er
2,404 posts, read 6,559,045 times
Reputation: 1497
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteboyslo View Post
I know that tow companies are allowed to tow and impound cars without police present to validate the infraction. It happened to me ON CHRISTMAS DAY!! My car was towed from in front of my townhouse for some HOA violation, not an actual law, so that's how they got away with it. A quick $300 for the tow company with no legal recourse for me. They don't have to prove anything; just hook it up and off they go.

Mike
There is recourse for you ! , first you still have the title to the car? ( yes I hope ) second you simply go to the nearest DMV and request the title search on the vehicle from the title . next from this info you will know who towed your vehicle. Next you will send this company a bill for the value of the vehicle, you should get a response from either denying they took it or the name of the person who ordered it removed. now with that info you add their name to the small claims action and bill them too, the results is that you file claims against both and every time this goes into court they loose , why? because there are laws that forbid this from happening in all stated,. Neither of them had a contract with you to tow the car , Even when the cops impound a vehicle there is no contract with you ( the legal owner) and the tow co. therefore the charge of Grand Thief Auto can and should be charged against them . I had an occasion to do the same thing here in California back in 2005, the city did a court ordered abatement on my property. the company that towed the cars had a contract with the city but not with me , they took the old cars to the crusher . I filed a suit against the for this reason and they had to to pay the value of the vehicles they took . just because the cops do this all the time dosen't mean it is legal.
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Old 04-07-2012, 03:32 PM
 
Location: On the Chesapeake
45,004 posts, read 59,991,288 times
Reputation: 60548
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fighter 1 View Post
There is recourse for you ! , first you still have the title to the car? ( yes I hope ) second you simply go to the nearest DMV and request the title search on the vehicle from the title . next from this info you will know who towed your vehicle. Next you will send this company a bill for the value of the vehicle, you should get a response from either denying they took it or the name of the person who ordered it removed. now with that info you add their name to the small claims action and bill them too, the results is that you file claims against both and every time this goes into court they loose , why? because there are laws that forbid this from happening in all stated,. Neither of them had a contract with you to tow the car , Even when the cops impound a vehicle there is no contract with you ( the legal owner) and the tow co. therefore the charge of Grand Thief Auto can and should be charged against them . I had an occasion to do the same thing here in California back in 2005, the city did a court ordered abatement on my property. the company that towed the cars had a contract with the city but not with me , they took the old cars to the crusher . I filed a suit against the for this reason and they had to to pay the value of the vehicles they took . just because the cops do this all the time dosen't mean it is legal.
You won because they took the cars to the crusher. If they'd gone to impound and been held there for the prescribed time you would have lost.

He may not have a contract with the tow company but he has a contract with the HOA to abide by its rules. In those rules are the standards to be followed if a vehicle has to be towed by order of the HOA.
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Old 04-07-2012, 04:28 PM
 
202 posts, read 861,657 times
Reputation: 115
Quote:
Originally Posted by North Beach Person View Post
You won because they took the cars to the crusher. If they'd gone to impound and been held there for the prescribed time you would have lost.

He may not have a contract with the tow company but he has a contract with the HOA to abide by its rules. In those rules are the standards to be followed if a vehicle has to be towed by order of the HOA.
I don't have any experience with HOAs but do they have or does the tow company have any responsibility to prove you were in violation? If not couldn't they just tow cars and say they violated some rule just to make easy money? Then it's your word against theirs...
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