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More than 140 cars, belonging to more than 100 drivers, have been recovered from the Van Nice business, accused of locking up vehicles through predatory towing practices also known as “bandit” towing, Los Angeles and state officials announced Tuesday.
At the heart of the investigation, Van Nuys-based Legends Auto (also known as Legends, Inc.), based in Van Nuys, served as search warrants at two locations after “many” citizen complaints of looting.
A predatory towing usually begins when a driver is involved in a mild traffic collision and is then approached by a suspected witness and claims he has a photo or video of the accident to get the driver’s phone number. Shortly afterwards, the victim received a misleading text message from the apparent insurance company, and according to Leurel Friedlander Junior st, the tow truck said the damaged vehicle would be transported to the legendary vehicle.
“Our victims signed these towing contracts pretending to be false and believed that this was arranged by their own personal insurance company,” Friedland said. “And then when they respond to the tow location, the business offers them an inflated bill with numerous illegal costs.”
In one case, her car was transported from her home to Legend Auto, despite the victim’s refusal towing service. According to Friedland, her car refused to release the car until she received full payment.
“It was a straight grant car,” she said.
Authorities said towing and storage would cost victims between $7,000 and $15,000.
LAPD and California Highway Patrol investigators said illegal towing is not new, but drivers should be reminded of illegal or unethical practices.
“As a golden rule, if you didn’t call a towing truck in that location, you’re likely to be a potential victim of illegal towing activities,” said said during CHP’s Joe Dominguez. “Unless a police officer is on the scene and asks for a tow truck for you, you can insist on which towing operators can tow the vehicle from the scene.”
Of the 145 cars recovered from the Legends Auto location, some of them were returned to the owner.
While “detailed” investigations have not yet made any arrests, LAPD detectives said they are hoping for multiple arrests from repair facilities that could be found in the suspected scheme.
NBC Los Angeles has been investigating predatory towing practices for years to listen to police scanners, appearing in accident scenes, claiming they were dispatched by car insurance companies and approaching victims.
Gladys, a victim of the scam that I-Team spoke to in 2019, said the towing company took her car to a body shop 20 miles away without insurance. It cost her nearly $1,000.
Also, body shops with cars being towed often appear in scams and even charge drivers an outrageous, illegal fee to get their cars back.
The CHP warned that officers would always come if they were called to crash on the highway. They also link the driver to a reputable wo navigation service that has driver information upon arrival.
“If you’re caught up in a collision from anywhere, they’re offering to get you off the highway, they want you to move faster, they want to do things before something happens, they think they can be cheaper than anyone else.
To avoid being a victim of a predatory towing, authorities urge drivers to obtain the company’s name when the two trucks appear. Towing companies are legally required to say in advance the towing fee that cannot be changed. It is also best to obtain this in writing. Body Shops can only charge storage fees. Others require approval from the car owner.
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