Authorities are looking for con artists who targeted Eton Fire victims by fraudulently towing cars and demanding excessive costs to retrieve them.
On the first day of the Eton fire, January 7th to 10th, a fake towing company claiming it was contracted by the city of Altadena, forced the evacuated victim to tow the vehicle falsely before paying a high fee to retrieve the vehicle.
Some of the stolen cars were stored in Riverside or San Bernardino County.
Altadena resident David Gueringer lost the Etonfire garage and guest home that caught fire on January 7th.
“We really dodged the worst fires and fell asleep thinking we were so lucky,” Gaelinger said.
While his home was evacuated, Gueringer received a call from a towing company claiming he was working with the city. They had offered to tow vehicles left in the fire zone for safety reasons, such as Gueringer’s Chevy Tahoe SUV and Prius Sedan.
Altadena resident David Gueringer has been the target of The The Truck scammers who tow the vehicles and demanded excessive fees to free them. (KTLA) County Task Force is looking for con artists who targeted Eaton Fire victims by unfairly towing their vehicles and holding them for ransom. (LA County) Authorities are looking for con artists who targeted Eaton Fire victims by fraudulently towing their vehicles and holding them for ransom. (KTLA) Files – David Slater, right, cleaned the driveway from his home, spared from Eton Fire in Altadena, California, January 12, 2025 (AP Photo/Ethan Swop, Files) The fragments from the destroyed home stand behind the newly built ADU (Accessories and Residential Forces). Dovergan) The only home between the homes levelled by the Eton Fire in Altadena, California on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, will try to extinguish the flames on January 8, 2025 in an apartment building that is burning during the Eton Fire. Eton attacks the victim by unjustly towing his car and holding it for ransom. (LA County)
“They gave what sounded like a plausible story, and “We made a contract to remove cars from people’s driveways so that they wouldn’t burn and not burn, removing objects that could contribute to the fire,” recalled Gaelinger.
Gueringer agreed to tow his car. However, a few days later, he discovers that it is a scam after his insurance company told him that the insurance company was asking for excessive fees to release his two vehicles.
“They said they charged about $3,000 to get one of the cars out,” he said. “This raised a red flag so they looked up the license or credentials, but they didn’t have it.”
What’s worse, the towing bandit also had a lien on his Prius. Gueringer said he appreciated his insurance company intervened to help, but authorities believe there could be more casualties than they were aware they were being held.
A task force was set up by county officials to investigate the bandit towing company. The con artist is thought to be based on the Inland Empire.
“We know that experience this fire has led to a lot of fraud, lots of predatory behavior, and a lot of opportunistic behavior,” Gueringer said.
LA County Superintendent Kathryn Berger asks victims to move forward if they believe they are targeted by fraudsters.
“I don’t think it’s disgusting that these fraudulent tow companies exploited fire survivors in times of distress,” Berger said. “The people behind this abominable scheme must be accountable and put to justice. I urge anyone who has been victimized to move forward so that they can stop these bad actors from preying on our community.”
Some warning signs that the victim may have experienced include:
The towing company contacted you and said they had a contract with the city to tow your car, they asked to send you a photo of your driver’s license, they towed your car and did not inform you of where it is stored when the vehicle is located, the towing company asks for a large amount of money to release the vehicle
Anyone who suspects they are victims should contact the sergeant of the Inland Imperial Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force. Regina Garey from 909-919-2242.
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