‘I was confused’ says driver whose car was towed despite paying for parking – she had to shell out US$297 to get it back

A DRIVER tried to spend a day with her friends at a vintage clothing show and was the victim of a common scam.

Similar scams have been reported in Illinois, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

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Los Angeles, California, is known for its incredibly long list of things to do – lots of museums, sports stadiums, concert halls and fairs.

There are so many parking lots that provide the ideal workplace for scammers looking to take advantage of attendees at a well-attended event.

David Tracy, owner and writer of The Autopian, wrote a article about his girlfriend’s experience being tricked by slick “lot attendants” into paying for paying, only to be towed away.

He referred to her as Elise to protect his girlfriend’s identity.

Elise planned to spend the day with her friend at a vintage clothing show in the City of Angels and decided to park her Lexus SUV in a surface parking lot instead of the underground parking lot she previously used.

“There was a sign that said $10 parking. There was an attendant with tickets,” she told Tracy.

“I parked; he directed me to park in a specific spot. He put a ticket in a window. I paid and left.”

She told Tracy that she parked and enjoyed the show with her friend and was shocked by what she saw in the parking lot.

“About four hours later, I get back to my car and it’s at a tow truck,” she recalled.

The payment slip that the “attendant” ordered to place on the windshield was fake, so the attendant removed it himself, resulting in the tow.

“I was confused. I paid for parking,” she said.

“When I talked to the [tow truck operator] and realized that I had been deceived, I was embarrassed and shocked. I felt that feeling when someone takes advantage of you.”

Her Lexus didn’t move an inch, but both front wheels were on the truck, so she had to pay a delivery fee to get the car back.

Typically, the delivery fee for a towed vehicle is $115 per vehicle, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office. websitebut Elise paid more than that.

“I had to pay him $297 to drop my car… to do a ‘field dump,’ even though he literally hadn’t moved my car an inch,” she said.

“He just lifted both wheels.”

Elise wasn’t the only one who was scammed either.

Many of his friends fell for the convincing scam.

“I also felt bad for the women whose cars were towed. [the tow truck operator] said he had already towed 10 cars,” he said.

What to do if your car is towed

Unfairly or not, recovering a towed vehicle can be a hassle.

If your vehicle is towed after parking in a “No Parking” zone or other legitimate reason, there are some steps you can take to get it back.

Steps to follow when your car is towed:

• Try to find out why your car was towed. Haven’t you seen a “No Parking” sign? Did you miss your car payment? Have you returned to a lot where there were unpaid citations? Finding the reason may narrow down the phone numbers to dial.
• Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to leave some type of contact information via a posted or mailed sign.
• Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but these times will be posted on the website or may be provided by a representative.
• Pay the fees. Be careful to be as quick as possible as some towing yards may charge per day storage fees.

If you believe your vehicle was improperly towed, you can dispute the action by following these steps:

• Be quick – many states have a small window of time in which it is acceptable to file a claim against a company that improperly towed your vehicle.
• Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements, if applicable. The more evidence, the better.
• Familiarize yourself with local laws, as laws for towing companies vary by state.
• Try talking to the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight and the matter can be resolved quickly.
• Contact your local Justice of the Peace as they may have more information or resources to help. They are often used for towing cases.
• Speak to a lawyer. Many lawyers offer free consultations and, depending on the case, it may be worth calling on a lawyer.

Source: Oregon Department of Justice, National General, Rak law firm

‘I was lucky my car wasn’t towed; At least I didn’t have to pay over $500 and then Uber to some impound location.’

Tracy cited other media outlets that have reported similar scams in other major cities, where people dressed up as parking attendants, made them pay for parking, and then gave them fake receipts to put in the window as proof of payment.

He obtained a Reddit post from a driver warning people about what was happening to them in Chicago, Illinois, where a “lot attendant” wrote the number 20 on the back of a Chanel card and instructed them to show it to the lot attendant who supervises parking.

When the Redditor showed the clerk their “proof of payment,” they were turned away and told that the proof of payment was fake.

The police were called but nothing was done about it.

Another Reddit post was obtained to show this was happening in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with one user commenting that they had seen scammers prowling during large events to target visitors.

In July 2023, police in Cincinnati, Ohio were asking the public for help in catching a scammer wearing an official-looking reflective vest who was allegedly tricking people into paying for parking.

Tracy contacted the owner of the garage Elise was scammed at, Joe’s Auto Parks, and didn’t get a helpful response.