My girlfriend called me yesterday, and as soon as I answered the phone I could tell something was wrong. The way she greeted me wasn’t the same; the tone, the energy — it was off. “I just got scammed, and I feel so stupid” she told me, her voice a bit shaky. “What’s going on? What happened?” I inquired, ready to spring into action any way I could. Then she told me, and I was pissed. So here I am writing this article to make sure this doesn’t happen to you, dear readers.
I realize this may seem like a “big city” problem, but actually, pay-to-park surface lots are pretty much all over the country (especially during sporting events), often with big A-frame signs out front reading: “$20 ALL DAY” or something like that. There’s usually an attendant who takes your money and gives you a ticket, and then the social contract states that this attendant must guard your vehicle with their life. That’s an unwritten rule that everyone universally agrees on. But someone on Sunday broke this rule in LA, dooming them to — I would think — at least a few years in purgatory.
“I was meeting a friend at a vintage clothing show in the fashion district in downtown LA,” my girlfriend, whom we’re going to refer to as Elise, told me. “”Normally I park in the building underground garage, but last time I parked there, they stacked the cars and asked me to leave my key. Plus it was $30.”
“So I went to a surface lot instead,” she continued. These types of lots are common in LA, especially downtown during the Auto show or during Lakers games. “There was a sign that said $10 parking. There was an attendant with tickets. I pulled in; he directed me to park in a specific place. He put a ticket on a window. I paid him, then left.” She noted that many other women who were attending the same clothing show had also parked in the same lot.
The clothing show went great. Elise got to see a lot of cool vintage clothing, she bought some things, she met some nice new people who were running the booths, she had lunch with her friend— it was just a pleasant Sunday morning. But then it wasn’t. “About four hours later, I go back to my [Lexus RX350], and it’s on a tow truck.” The parking “attendant” had apparently taken the “proof of payment” ticket off her windscreen, because it was nowhere to be found.
“I was confused. I’d paid for parking. When I talked to the [tow truck operator] and realized I’d gotten scammed, I felt embarrassed and shocked. I felt that feeling when you get when someone take advantage of you,” she told me. The car was still in the same spot where Elise had left it, but its front wheels had been lifted by the truck. “I had to pay $297 for him to drop my car… to do a ‘field drop,’ even though he literally hadn’t moved my car an inch. He just had the two wheels up.”
“I also felt bad for the women whose cars got towed. I think [the tow truck operator] said he’d towed 10 cars already. I felt lucky that my car wasn’t towed; at least I didn’t have to pay over $500 and then Uber to some impound lot.” Apparently, this type of scam isn’t rare. “[The tow truck operator] said this happens a lot. These guys will put on what look like parking lot attendant vests when they know there are events nearby, and do this,” she said.
I did a bit of googling, and indeed, this is a big problem. Here’s a post on Reddit titled “Fake Parking Attendant/Parking Ticket Scam” describing a similar incident in Chicago:
Damn it, they got me. And I’m normally really good about this shit. Was going with the wife to a Lizzo concert in Chicago, pull off of I-55 onto Madison heading towards the United Center. As we pull closer, about 1.5 miles or so, I notice two similarly dressed individuals in high vis vests, hats, gloves and other official looking decorations, virtually indistinguishable from other parking attendants at first glance. One is standing in the sidewalk while the other is stopping vehicles. He comes up to us and asks:
“Going to the Lizzo concert?”
“Yes.”
“OK, $20 for regular parking and $40 for easy access at the United Center”
Traffic is moving, the guy is motioning other vehicles to move around and otherwise operating in a very calm and conspicuous manner.
I go:
“OK we’ll take the $20 parking”
He places a card way in the front of our dash and tells us to “keep this in your window”
We approach the United Center, guys looks at us funny, we then reach over to hand him the card and as we look at it, it just has the number “20” handwritten on the back of a Chanel card.
Reported it to the police after being on hold for 20 minutes and they don’t care, of course. I knew I wasn’t going to get my money back, but I at least wanted to warn others about this.
FYI If you ever see these scammers and happen catch them in time, feel free to deal with them as you please! They likely have lots of ill-gotten cash on them, they’ll likely not report you for your acts of social rectification and even if they do Chicago PD doesn’t care.
Here’s a screenshot of another Reddit post about an incident in Philadelphia:
Here’s the Cincinnati Police asking for help identifying such an alleged scammer:
CBS News had a long article on this in September of 2022, quoting a number of people who had been similarly scammed. Here’s an example:
This scheme has been happening for years at other sporting venues too. Karl Rojek fell victim to the scam last year when he went to the United Center for a Blackhawks game.
“He puts the permit in my window. Waves me to the next guy. The next guy parks me over on the side of the street,” said Rojek. “Cops everywhere. That’s why it seems legitimate. I mean you wouldn’t think twice about parking there.”
He got stuck with a $75 parking ticket.
“Came out after the Blackhawks game. I had a parking ticket from the City of Chicago,” said Rojek. “I walked down the line just to see if it was just me or not. Every single car that parked there, had a ticket.”
I’ve reached out to Joe’s Auto Parks, who runs the lot where my girlfriend was scammed. They initially told me they’d help: “If they do give us a call, then we’ll go ahead and assist them as much as we could,” the representative said to me in reference to the women who were scammed. My girlfriend called Joe’s, and they couldn’t possibly have cared less. They basically put all the blame on her, later telling me: “We’re doing the best we can. We’ve never received any reports from that location,” which is almost certainly BS.
To be sure, it’s a tricky situation, and on some level, I can see why a parking lot would not want to compensate these scam-victims, because the lot would be losing out on money. The scammers are the crooks here. Still, this lot called a tow truck on probably 10 cars; they should have figured something was amiss. That’s what’s so strange about this; it seems like something fishy is going on…
Some kind of sign stating something to the effect of “There Are No Parking Lot Attendants At This Location. Pay Only At Kiosk” might be helpful, and at the same time, my girlfriend and those other women who attended the vintage clothing show are just going to have to be more careful moving forward. It’s not easy, because it’s hard to distinguish a legit parking lot attendant from a fake one. Maybe the move is to never pay cash, but that doesn’t work all the time.
So be careful out there. The last thing I want is for your prized 1991 Chrysler LeBaron to get scraped up by a tow truck, hauled to an impound lot, and released only after you pay over $500. I’d rather you spend that money on the engine rebuild you’ll need eventually. Consider yourselves warned.
Topshot image credit: via stock.adobe.com: Guy = Saksit. Street scene = Tada Images
“1991 Chrysler LeBaron”
Or an 89 LeBaron owned by Jon Voight- even comes w/ a free pencil!
It’s not even an 89:
“…it wasn’t an ’89 model, either. This particular LeBaron convertible was marketed between 1982 and 1986. (I don’t know this car’s exact year, but the turbo hood scoop suggests that it’s an ’84 or an ’85…”
Sorry to hear about this parking ordeal- should never happen and I don’t understand how these people can live w/ themselves
I often wonder what kind of side deals these scammers have with the tow truck companies. Hey tow truck company, I just sold another scam parking permit, come pick the vehicle up ASAP! I want my $25 dollar “finder fee” in cash please
There’s probably a kick back to the legitimate lot owners too, a quid pro quo for getting the contract to be the designated tower from that piece of private property. So everybody’s making out at the expense of someone who doesn’t know any better.
The circular economy!
I’m sorry for your gf’s hassle, but I love these scammers. The fact that they’ve been doing this for so long, and the scam is SO simple. They continue to get away with it and I kind of love it.
Even if I got took, I would still have to half give it to the guys for pulling it off.
I’m pretty sure DT’s gf’s real name is Exige.
Nope. I’ts Jeepina. Last name, Rusty. Middle name, caliperisa
Nah, Caliperisa was the Finch family cook/mother figure in To Kill A Mockingbird
Sounds like Joe’s been doing this for a while. Only problem is, this time they pissed off the dude who has a megaphone to the Internet. Call them out by name, Mr. Tracy!
DT why aren’t you going to cops with the perp’s face, you have it right in the article’s picture! /s
Steve Goodman had a great song about corrupt tow truck drivers in Chicago called “The Lincoln Park Pirates”. Lincoln Park Pirates (youtube.com)
David thanks for sharing this, it wouldn’t occur to me as a possibility at all. Will keep an eye out.
All the more reason to uber/cab/etc. when I go into the city or an event. Park at the hotel, let someone else drive you into town, drink all you want, get a ride home.
If that towing company isn’t in cahoots with the parking scammers, I’ll eat that fake parking pass. It’s a shame that a safety vest purchased at a hardware store passes for a uniform these days.
Hi-Viz vests are basically a free pass anywhere. You can look like you belong, in almost setting, with some combination of Hi-Viz vest, a clipboard, and a dolley or tool belt.
When I was in college, working my way through as a custodian, we’d occasionally have people who we would need to roust out of chem/bio labs for safety reasons. Would anyone listen to a mere custodian? Nope. Put on a high-viz vest, though, and even the most stubborn grad student would listen when we told ’em to leave. It’s weird, but it’s reality.
I catered in college and occassionally had to kick students out of the student union building so I could set up an early morning breakfast. I learned to just steal a bag of doritos from the cafeteria to hand them upon waking. Most people would happily take the chips and stumble home.
Well, in Brazil it was bit worse.
There was a concert in a stadium, and as usual no parking space available. In this kind of scenario, is normal to have people using nearby empty lots to park cars and fork some money, and since they pack as many cars as they can squeeze in the lot, is normal to leave the keys.
So it was not suspicious when there was one of these. And the thing really looked professional, they had printed recipes identifying the maker and license plate, payment in advance accepting credit/debit cards.
Seemed legit, real business.
When people got back to pick the cars after the concert, there wasn’t anybody there. Cars neither. They stole like 30 or 40 cars. It was a expensive concert, so there were Mercs, BMWs even one or two Porsches among the stolen cars.
People paid to had their cars stolen, literally.
Police recovered most in the following days, probably because there were more cars them time to cut them.
Absolutely the Tow Truck Company and the Vest dude were in on the scam, jury’s out on whether the lot was as well.
Always be weary
“Always be weary”
Well it’s hard to be weary if you have no problems sleeping. But being WARY on the other hand is a good idea!
:-p
This is why the SpotHero app is so valuable, especially in big cities. You can see where you can legally park (garages and surface lots) and reserve a space in advance. Even days or weeks in advance! Then you don’t have to worry about who’s standing there. You just drive to the lot you reserved, use your QR code to open the gate (or in some cases at some surface lots, do nothing, it’s just by your plate), park and go. Nobody ever takes cash or hands you a ticket or anything. And because I’m such a nice guy, here’s 10% off your first reservation https://spothero.com/about/promo-code
Her real name is Lotus, isn’t it.
Common problem in Houston as well and generally has me avoiding surface lots.
I’d be willing to bet the lot owner hasn’t heard anything because the ticket scammer and the tow truck company are working together on this. Tow companies are the shadiest people ever.
I’d be willing to bet the lot owner is in on it, too.
I was going to an event at the George R. Brown a few years ago and a guy was running this scam on a surface lot.. A homeless dude walking by yelled at me when I was reaching for my wallet to pay the “attendant” -“He doesn’t work here!”. I gave $20 to the homeless dude and found a garage.
Really common at the parking for Astros games as well. I’ve just given up and park at the courthouse garage now, may not be the cheapest but I know my car will be there when I get back.
I guarantee you the hobo and fake attendant were in on it together. They get $20 per car with INFINITE capacity since they never park any.
This story and all of the comments made me think about how just this weekend my wife and I headed downtown (Tampa) for a reservation we had to celebrate our anniversary a little early. Parking everywhere was a mess because we did not realize it was Riverfest weekend. We passed a couple questionable looking lots in favor of using city street parking and paying through the app. It was a bit of a hike, but worth it, because I also avoid valet parking at all costs.
BS that lot having the car towed while not manning it and protecting it. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were behind it. Sue the bastards if they can charge to use it they are responsible for what occurred on it. A few 1 star ratings and BBB Complaints from everyone should put a ding in their pockets
Yes, the lot was unattended, but someone just happened to stop by and see that 10 cars were parked without a ticket and then called the tow company to tow the trucks. It’s all an unfortunate coincidence. Nothing nefarious going on here at all.
BBB complaints are completely useless IME. Go straight to California’s consumer protection agency and whoever regulates parking facilities. They do investigate and keep you informed.
” A few 1 star ratings and BBB Complaints from everyone should put a ding in their pockets”
They’re scammers… it’s not like whatever name they gave would be real.
And the BBB is another scam itself. They won’t do shit about this situation.
Oh wait… I’m conversing with Mr Sarcastic… well in that case… YES! Contact the BBB… they’ll TOTALLY BE USEFUL
LOL
Something similar (almost) happened to me in Seattle. The parking lot has automated ticket kiosks. Despite the fact that there was a sign saying “There are no parking lot attendants at this location”, there was a guy hanging around in a hi-vis vest. He was checking tickets on windshields to see which ones had overstayed, and told me he would report my car if I didn’t have “something for him.” I told him I didn’t have any cash and drove away.
Also, triple-fuck that guy for running a scam in a food bank parking lot
Pittsburgh has moved to kiosks for all city operated surface and street parking. I know most of the garages and most large private surface lots have a shed for the operators. I usually avoid private lots in favor or one or two trusted garages (that don’t jack up rates for events) and just walk.
I think the real scam here is tow trucks. $297 payment for them to molest your car? I’m sure it was in cash and with no receipt. There’s no world where that’s ok. And yes, my car has been damaged in the process of an illegal tow, so yes, I’m salty as a sea dog.
The Autopian should really do an exposé on towing scams and all the dodgy practices in that industry that are somehow not illegal. Bonus points if the author can somehow conjure the site’s signature good vibes in the process.
There have been parking scams where a towing company was involved so I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the case here as well.
Heck scams look at the legal ones in NYC. Take a cab ride to Long Island from JFK they charge you triple the meter because no fares coming back. Look at airports and the cost of gas for returned cars. Congress was patting themselves on the back for looking into gas stations gouging customers after storms for charging a little more because they couldn’t get refueled but rentalcar companies charging anextra $5 a gallon is business as usual.
Eh. The cash-only thing is understandable. The first thing someone who was legitimately towed does if they pay with a credit card is to drive off and then dispute the charge. There should absolutely be a receipt, however, and if there wasn’t one I’d be on the phone to the cops.
For the $297 thing, this isn’t the tow truck driver’s fault. The legit ones grab cars the lot owner tells them to grab. They have to drive all the way out there and get the car on the truck. Their time is just as valuable as anyone else’s, and they have to price to make up for all the trips they do where they’re called for a tow and the car is gone when they get there.
It’s also not the lot owner’s fault – they probably don’t even know this criminal is out there scamming people because if they did know it, they’d put a stop to it. It’s costing them money.
If you go into a store and someone says you can buy that wrench for $20, and you give them $20 and walk out of the store with the wrench, if that guy was a scammer the store is still owed money for the wrench. You don’t get to leave just because you fell for a scam. Same thing here – she didn’t get the right to park there just because she gave someone money. She only gets the right to park there if she gives the actual business money.
The entirety of the fault here lies with the criminal who rooked her into giving him money. Everyone else is a victim who got screwed.
If it’s cash-only and $297, honestly my car is goin to get towed. That amount is high enough that the alarm bells ringing in my head are going to be louder than my need to get home in the car right now.
$297 doesn’t seem super steep in LA, where a starter home is nearly 3/4 of a million dollars. Prices are stupid there, and the tow guy has to buy groceries too. And if they tow it, you’re gonna pay yard storage fees, etc too.
Personally, I’ll give ’em the money if they give me time to go to an ATM and give me a receipt, and then deal with them on the backside if warranted.
In this case, she was illegally parked. She didn’t know she was illegally parked, but that doesn’t change the fact that she was. It’s a legit tow. Pay the $297 so you don’t have to pay $500 plus an Uber ride to the yard.
The sad thing is that a lot of the dodgy practices are actually illegal, it’s just that the tow companies make a bet that you either don’t know that what they’re doing is illegal or that you won’t have the cash to sue them for it.
In 2020, I sued a tow company after it illegally towed a few of my cars. The tow company didn’t have a license, was running fake insurance paperwork, the drivers were untrained and unlicensed, and its “yard” was literally the backyard of a residential property. All of it was illegal, but the tow company operated like this for years before anyone (me) bothered to raise the red flag. The court battle lasted well over a year and my payout was paltry. It only made sense for me to keep on the lawsuit because my lawyer was my girlfriend (now wife) and thus I didn’t pay anything.
The tow company admitted to towing my vehicles in gear and admitted to dragging my vehicles across a parking lot. It was their belief that it was all on the up and up.
My case did nothing. There is now a case in the system that proves that this company is breaking every possible law for tow companies. Yet, the state of Illinois hasn’t done anything and neither will the company leasing the truck to them. I saw the tow truck just last week.
Edit: I’ve long wanted to tell this story, but have decided against it since these people know where I live and have threatened to kill me once already. Funny how nobody cares about death threats…
Hopefully this story and your comment are a death knell for people running these scams, but they will likely not only continue but become more widespread. The consumer cannot count on the state or federal government to provide protection from companies like these, to whom the politicians may be beholden. You, David, and the others on the Autopian team are providing a service to your consumers with your content and comments which address scams such as these. Consumer alert / investigative reporting are important to your readers and consumers in general, and can set you apart from the other automotive journals on the internet by providing such content. “death threats”; I hope you and Sheryl have lodged complaints with the appropriate authorities, although from the sound of it those complaints may likely fall on deaf ears.
I have a friend who had his car stolen in a similar fashion. He was donating his car to a charity and went to a drop-off site when an official looking guy walked up and said he would take it from here, just go inside and give them your info. He walks inside, tells them he is here to donate his car and they ask were it is. He says he gave it to the guy, they tell him there is no guy and he needs to call the cops.
Suggestion: Always take a photo of anyone before you hand cash to them in such a situation. If they object, move along.
Proves the adage: People trust someone in a reflective vest, add a clip board and a walkie talky and you can pretty much walk into the White House.
Gates at the entrance/exit to the lot could be effective. Some cost to the lot owner, but less than employing an attendant. Pay at kiosk or gate, and you need a paid ticket to exit. With an automated system rates can be adjusted for special events or you could employ an attendant for the evening, but a scammer wouldn’t be able to direct cars into the lot without having access to the gate system. City could mandate lot owners install a system to prevent scams.
I frequently use spothero in advance so I have a destination to head for and the knowledge there will be a spot for me (and advance knowledge of my parking costs).
Illinois statute regulates the drop fee:
(625 ILCS 5/4-203)(from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 4-203)3. If the registered owner or legally authorized person entitled to possession of the vehicle shall arrive at the scene prior to actual removal or towing of the vehicle, the vehicle shall be disconnected from the tow truck and that person shall be allowed to remove the vehicle without interference, upon the payment of a reasonable service fee of not more than one-half the posted rate of the towing service as provided in paragraph 6 of this subsection, for which a receipt shall be given.Here’s where it gets fun:
The towing and storage charges, however, shall not exceed the maximum allowed by the Illinois Commerce Commission under Section 18a-200.
(The Illinois Commerce Commission shall) set reasonable rates for the commercial towing or removal of trespassing vehicles from private property. The rates shall not exceed the mean average of the 5 highest rates for police tows within the territory to which this Chapter applies that are performed under Sections 4-201 and 4-214 of this Code and that are of record at hearing.
Assuming in Chicago the CPD rates are roughly average:
Pursuant to the Municipal Code of Chicago (9-92-80 M.C.C.), such charges are as follows: Towing: $150 ($250 for vehicles 8,000 lbs or more)
So… a drop fee in the City of Chicago should theoretically be capped at $75 for the average vehicle?
You need a technical definition of “Towing” in order to arrive at your conclusion. they state “actual removal or towing” thus distinguishing “towing” from “actual removal” making it reasonable to assume those are distinct and different occurrences. Does raising the front wheels on to the tow vehicle constitute a tow? It might. So it all turns on that definition. Unless a statute is passed defining it, the definition can only be clarified in court.
Every tow company charges a drop fee. The company and employees need paid for gas and equipment running out to the site. Parking Wars from city of Philadelphia clearly shows this. If Uber and Food delivery drivers deserve compensation above the fees charged how about the tow truck driver?
What a bunch losers. Can we admit the tow truck company were turds as well for having zero sympathy for the scammed?
Wouldn’t surprise me if they were in on it.
I would absolutely believe they knew exactly what was going on. Generally only the scummiest people get in to that business.
tow truck drivers love the scam because it means business for them. they don’t want it to stop and could care less about anything but money. 100% serious.