'You're going to rip off my insurance company?': AP Towing and Recovery rips off car owners for thousands
CHICAGO (CBS) -- For years, CBS 2 has been investigating tow company scams.
Only on 2, there's a new twist with more than 100 drivers caught in the scheme.
CBS 2's Sabrina Franza spoke with one of the victims. That business is now busted and shut down.
There were 150 vehicles taken from a city lot and they're all there illegally. One victim got her car out before the city shut the lot down.
Her car was there less than 48 hours and they charged her $3,600. She had no idea how big a scam this was until CBS 2 gave her a call.
"They tried charging me $3,600 and I said for what?"
Tanya Smith got into an accident in June. AP Towing and Recovery showed up. They seemed to be coming to the rescue. Their scamming would say otherwise.
"it was like six or seven things marked off at $500," said Smith.
It was $500 for the tow, $100 per day storage, $500 for special equipment, $500 for cleanup and even more charges tacked on top. The total: $3,600.
"He said 'that's why you have to go through your insurance company. Go through them to pay it.' And so I said 'so you're going to rip off my insurance company, huh," asked Smith.
Another victim's car has been there since June. Its owner told CBS 2 off-camera that after got into an accident in June AP Towing and Recovery took his car and held it for months.
Its owner said they were told it was beyond repair. So he relinquished it. He had no idea his car was still there -- in one piece -- until CBS 2 showed him a picture of his car.
Sources tell CBS 2 AP Towing and Recovery would do this over and over again: charge car owners and insurance companies exorbitant fees to get their cars back, many times holding them longer than necessary.
Often the bill was so high that they'd convince owners to sell their cars all together. All this while operating illegally on a city owned lot.
"I think they should reimburse all the customers. They should do some type of jail time," said the car owner.
The Chicago Businesses Affairs and Consumer Protection Department of Buildings, the Illinois Commerce Commissioner and the Chicago Police Department issued a cease and desist order in June 30th.
The company neither ceased nor desisted. Then Monday, the six tow trucks at AP Towing were towed. The lot is locked up. Sources tell CBS 2 that the driver of a tow truck was arrested and charged.
He's since been let go and had no comment when CBS 2 called him. The search continues for the owner. Meanwhile, those 150 cars were all brought to a secure lot and Chicago police said they're working to notify each car owner.
The city said there will be no fees or costs to those owners who come and pick up their cars.
If you think you were a victim of AP Towing and Recovery, your car could be at that secure lot, located at 10300 South Doty. You'll need proof of ownership to pick it up.
