The California Department of Insurance issued a PSA with a warning for California drivers about an increase in scams involving tow truck companies targeting car accident victims where vehicles are being held hostage for cash. The scam has become prevalent in Southern California and the Department’s Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force, has investigated multiple cases including one that has resulted in the arraignment and charges against 16 Southern California residents.

This task force investigation found the auto fraud ring allegedly conspired together to create fraudulent insurance claims to illegally collect over $216,932. The investigation discovered the large-scale organized auto insurance fraud ring was engaged in multiple types of schemes including holding vehicles hostage and collusive collisions. This same ring was previously charged in a similar scheme stemming from vehicles stolen under false pretences and brought to California Collision in San Bernardino County.

One of the scams in this case involves a tow truck showing up immediately after a collision occurs and offering to help the driver by towing their vehicle to a body shop. Then the body shop forces the driver to pay a large amount of money typically not covered by your insurance in order to get the vehicle back.

The Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Task Force began this investigation in November 2022 after they found out a California Highway Patrol non-sworn employee, Rosa Isela Santistevan, 56, of Irvine, was unlawfully selling traffic collision report face pages, which contained personal information of people who had been involved in collisions throughout Southern California.

After the task force served numerous search warrants they seized over 3,500 CHP traffic collision report face pages from the residence of Esmeralda Parga, 27, of Pomona, who the task force determined was connected to Santistevan through the organized ring’s ringleader, Andre Angelo Reyes, 37, of Corona. The conspiracy began after Reyes befriended Santistevan and other CHP employees by donating to various CHP events and parties. Santistevan printed and unlawfully sold thousands of traffic collision face pages to Reyes who would then provide the reports to E. Parga. E. Parga would then contact the parties involved in the collision, pretending to be from their insurance company and coordinate having their vehicle towed to a repair center that they misrepresented as approved by the insurance company.

Unbeknownst to the victims, E. Parga did not represent the insurance company and was stealing the victims’ vehicles. Reyes and E. Parga would then dispatch tow trucks, whose drivers cooperated in the scheme and would pick up the vehicles in Riverside County and tow them to Certified Auto in Buena Park, owned by Anthony Gomez, 36, of Jurupa Valley. Once the vehicles were at Certified Auto, Certified Auto would hold the vehicle hostage and demand cash payment from the insurance companies to have the vehicles released.

During the numerous search warrants, additional evidence was obtained showing the alleged ring was engaged in other types of insurance fraud schemes, including collusive collisions.The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has also charged Reyes and Diana Villa Pineda, 34, of Corona with tax evasion of $136,408.

The Department of Insurance said that there are a few red flags drivers should be aware of to make sure they are not a victim of this type of scam:

– – Tow truck shows up within minutes of accident, you may not even have had time to call anyone yet.
– – Tow truck driver tells you which body shop your car is going to instead of working with you to identify where you want your vehicle to go.
– – Tow truck driver tells you someone will contact you by phone or asks you to sign documents.
– – Tow truck driver requests a rideshare for you.

The Department urges drivers if they believe they may be in a situation like this to verify the tow truck with their insurance company or wait for CHP to verify the tow truck was dispatched by CHP. Also, do not sign any documents until they have talked to their insurance company.