Seeing tow trucks parked at my local intersection recently reminded me of a scam whereby tow-truck drivers dupe unsuspecting accident victims into allowing them to tow the victims’ vehicles.
The scam involves the driver telling you he will call your insurance provider for authorisation. Of course, he does no such thing, but you won’t find out until you call your insurer yourself.
In one incident in Johannesburg recently, a driver even passed the phone to the accident victim to confirm she was speaking to her insurer – of course, she was speaking to someone involved in the scam.
So what to do if you’re in an accident and a tow truck shows up? If he is not contracted to your short-term insurance provider, your insurer won’t pay the towing costs, which they would do if the operator was authorised.
What often happens, too, is that the vehicle is towed to a panel beater that is also not authorised, causing further expense to you, the motorist.
Of course, there are many honest, professional tow-truck operators on the road — but you do need to be prepared for those that are out to make a quick buck.
Here are some tips to help you ward off these unscrupulous operators:
- Find out if your insurance policy benefits include a towing service, and which towing service is authorised by your insurance provider
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