Tow Companies Hold Eaton Fire Victims' Cars For Ransom

Tow companies are invariably scum, but a group of tow truck operators out of California set a new standard for despicable behavior earlier this year when it began towing cars owned by victims of the Eaton fire. The truck drivers would tow fire victims' cars, often to lots far from where they'd been parked, and demanded cash ransoms for their safe return. This is a scum move perpetrated by scum people, and it seems LA authorities are now moving to do something about it. 

The cars were largely towed early in January, according to the Los Angeles Times, and brought to sites in San Bernardino or Riverside counties. Drivers who wanted their cars back had to pay the hostage-takers, who pretended they were empowered by the local government in their scheme. From the Los Angeles Times:

On Monday, L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued a statement urging any Altadena residents who were contacted by a tow company under suspicious circumstances to report their experience to the Inland Empire Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force.

"I find it disgusting that these fraudulent tow operators exploited fire survivors during their time of distress," Barger said. "Those behind this abhorrent scheme must be held accountable and brought to justice."

Scamming fire victims by stealing one of their most valuable remaining possessions and ransoming it back to them is the kind of downward-punching dirtbag move that should prompt some real introspection in its perpetrators. Were there no starving orphans nearby to shake down for a quick buck, no bereaved widows to scam out of their life insurance payouts? You could steal anyone's car with a tow truck if you're pretending the government told you to, so why focus your efforts on the victims of the Eaton fire?

We should all be able to see tow truck drivers as our knights in shining armor, waiting to save us when our shitboxes inevitably break down, but the prevalence of scams and unlawful tows have forced us all to consider the profession an evil one. Tow truck drivers, please, get it together. Stop pulling these stunts. Are a few tow fees really worth the respect of your entire profession?