And where she stops... Nobody knows
Insurance fraud
We all pay for it, even when not directly targeted. As much as a third of your premium expenses may be inflated because of it. Insurance industry personnel at every level are schooled to watch for tell-tale signs. Though claims adjusters find themselves obligated by state regulation to pay quickly, including those claims that appear to be fraudulent. Classic scam is the Swoop and Squat, where the scammer employs an accomplice to pose as unwitting victim and claimant against your insurance, when together they cleverly maneuver to force your car into a panic stop, rear ending the car ahead.
It is only one of many cons, all based upon age-old tricks, and extremely difficult for an insurance investigator to prove; harder yet to prosecute. Only as the perpetrator is repeatedly successful and establishes a pattern, can a persuasive case be built and jury motivated to convict. I have customers complaining to me:
"It was so obviously a scam... Why can't they do something? And this is going on MY record!"
Insurance companies are often portrayed as financial scammers in film and TV. Truly unfair insurance claim settlements are quite rare, in my experience (as both insurance agent and claimant). But even government officials are known on occasion to engage in schemes that line their pockets or add perks to their positions of power at the expense of the innocent or disadvantaged or clumsy though otherwise law abiding citizen. Look at the 2014 police impound scam in King's County, California:
Notice that the police chief and private tow yard were both named Miller... a conspiratorial dynasty. As an agent, I have witnessed attempted insurance fraud. Personally, I haven't been marked as yet by a fraudster. But I have suffered extensive fallout from identity theft and a local government variety of impound extortion.
Yeah, I recognized the routine; sensed subterfuge, Though I wanted to believe and was willing to trust that this young police clerk was telling it straight to my son. He was the driver who got trapped in their restricted parking snare, and he wanted only to close the matter responsibly. They had already insisted that I, as sole titled owner of the confiscated car, brave Friday evening freeway traffic to travel from the other side of the county so to sign off on the ticket. (Turned out later that police should have been talking to me, and only me, as car owner.)
"This paper is all you need to get your car," said police to my driver, twice looking him (only him) eye to eye. And though the impound lot was already closed for the day, he could simply call this number and they should open the gate.
Minutes later, it even seemed the tow company's phone operator was on our side. Soon as we paid the city fine, after all, we became their customers. Surely they would treat us accordingly.
Minutes later, it even seemed the tow company's phone operator was on our side. Soon as we paid the city fine, after all, we became their customers. Surely they would treat us accordingly.
"You can actually save money," she assured my son, "...if you wait until morning." Extra $93 gate fee to send someone up (from behind the gate) to reopen after hours. Though trucks and their operators were coming and going as we watched.
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| www.fraudguides.com/cars/towing-scams/ |
Next day, I was three hours and three counties away, happily attending my daughter's college graduation. Brother showed up later, then disclosed-- No they wouldn't release our car when he re-appeared at the tow yard that morn. Only the registered owner could redeem it and must do so in person. I would be back in town Sunday. But they weren't open Sundays, unless we pay the extra $93... And by the way, it's going to cost their highest price for a tow PLUS the number of days garaged behind their gate... No, not 24-hour days or office-hour days; rather any part of any day they had excuse to keep my car, whether or not my driver actually showed up in good faith according to their operator's instruction and the police clerk's assurances.
So when I finally appeared Monday morning at their window (proving less expensive after all than to pay that $93 on Sunday) the price totaled over $530 to buy back my wheels... PLUS extra 2% fee because nobody carries cash anymore... and of course no way will they ever take checks. Further, it isn't their fault that the police misled us, nor that their phone lady failed to mention how the owner must be present; nor that Friday night counts as a full day, or that Sunday would be forced upon us as yet another chargeable day in addition to the "service" of abducting my car on behalf of police. Auto Club discount? Company stopped towing for them twenty years ago. (Nor will AAA reimburse the inflated tow expense.) And what do they care that law enforcement makes them the bad guys, or that their better business reputation is trashed? Customer complaints that I read online would devastate any other enterprise.
Yes, I finally knew I'd been had by another age-old scam. It's name varies-- Shell Game, Pigeon Drop, Fiddle Game or simple extortion.
According to Wikipedia:Three-card Monte — also known as find the lady and three-card trick — is a confidence game in which the victim, or mark, is tricked into betting a sum of money, on the assumption that they can find the "money card" among three face-down playing cards. It is the same as the shell game except that cards are used instead of shells. In its full form, three-card Monte is an example of a classic "short con" in which a shill pretends to conspire with the mark... while in fact conspiring with the dealer to cheat the mark. Chances are almost impossible with a good con artist against you.
Though legal, it's actually the traditional persuasion ploy, a technically legal fraud, holding your property for ransom. Tow company owner and call center comprise the confidence artist, tow yard operator and drivers their goons, while local police parking enforcement is the shill playing psychological sleight of hand. They all pretend to be independent agents, just doing their respective jobs for the good of society. But their combined objective, from placement and wording of signage to the reluctant redemption of your car, is to maximize the take (your money for your car). Car owner is the mark and driver another unwitting shill, both prey in a cat-and-mouse entrapment.
Lessons learned
1. Don't assume that parking is always allowed there. Search for a hidden notice and carefully decrypt its wording. In my son's recent experience, it was legal street parking 24/7... EXCEPT for certain hours on some Fridays when street fair vendors are charged rent to occupy the space.
Perfect pigeon trap to pad city coffers. I hear tell of another town in Southern California that prohibits parking overnight on any public street. Reportedly, the signs were posted deliberately at city boundaries where visitors may see and read them only when leaving town.
Perfect pigeon trap to pad city coffers. I hear tell of another town in Southern California that prohibits parking overnight on any public street. Reportedly, the signs were posted deliberately at city boundaries where visitors may see and read them only when leaving town.
2. Don't assume that the parking enforcer and tow truck driver are legitimate. Be respectful and cooperative, but write down badge and license numbers, noting descriptions of their vehicles, persons and uniforms. Watch that your car is properly inspected and protected from unreasonable damage. You will be required later to sign off, releasing all other parties from liability; that is, if you ever hope to recover the car.
2. Expect 3 to 5 times more expense than one might reasonably presume a fair penalty for parking infractions. Know that the system is rigged to make suckers pay and pay and pay again. The city managers are always poor (due to overspending); therefore you owe them. It's what they genuinely believe, and your intransigence or challenge of their obvious right to your largess is merely proof that you owe and opportunity to charge you more.
3. Ask the stupid questions... about every step and expense; ask over and over, of every officer, clerk, manager or operator at each stage of the process. Repeat their replies so they must confront how you hear them. And when they get defensive or angry at your queries-- this is their "tell" and your signal to be extra wary. It's the classic psychological manipulation of the mark by a con artist: making you feel foolish or intrusive, so better to play you as the fool while they further intrude upon your time and resources. The strategy is fashioned to wear you down, so you will yield like putty when squeezing every possible penny from pocket or credit account.
4. Consider joint registration, two household drivers for each vehicle. If one is away, the other can respond quickly to redeem impounded property. In retrospect, it may well have been better to pay the $93 gate fee on that first visit to the tow yard... Though there was no telling how soon an operator would actually show. Time and money, money and time amply peppered with frustration: that is ever their due. Thus they own you, even if not (yet) your property. It's how power players continually amp up their power, preparing you for the next time their trap captures you unawares.
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| Woof and Squat |
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