After surviving the deadly Eaton fire, some Los Angeles county residents were left vulnerable to a second danger: fraudulent towing companies that took their vehicles and were demanding hefty fees for their return, county officials say.
Kathryn Barger, chair of the Los Angeles county board of supervisors, said that during the first four days of the blaze, some tow truck operators were falsely claiming to be working for Altadena officials.
Barger’s announcement followed close on the heels of a warning by the California department of insurance about an uptick in scams where tow companies hold accident victims’ vehicles “hostage for cash”, an investigation that began before the Eaton fire.
Victims David Gueringer and Ursula Knudson in Los Angeles told ABC7 that a towing company falsely claimed it had been contracted by the city to remove vehicles as part of debris-clearing efforts.
Scheme operators take cars of LA county residents and demand hefty fees for their return, county officials say.
