If a tow truck just randomly shows up after you’ve broken down or had an accident, think twice before letting them take your car. Earlier this year, a state Department of Insurance dropped a PSA warning drivers about a nasty scam tearing through Southern California. It’s not your run-of-the-mill insurance fraud. This one involves tow truck drivers swooping in after accidents, hauling your car off, then demanding a ransom to get it back.
In February, the California Department of Insurance issued a scam warning. Prosecutors arraigned 16 people tied to an auto insurance fraud ring. Investigators say the group ran an organized scam worth more than $216,000. The ring targeted crash victims when they were at their most vulnerable.
The investigation kicked off in late 2022. Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force discovered that Rosa Isela Santistevan – a California Highway Patrol office worker – had been selling traffic collision report face pages. These reports included personal information about crash victims. Andre Angelo Reyes, the alleged ringleader, used this stolen data to coordinate unauthorized tows…