RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Police are conducting a widespread investigation into a Richmond-based towing company, saying the company may have fraudulently towed hundreds of drivers over the years.
RPD is not naming the company at this time but says they've notified over 500 drivers that may have possibly been overcharged or illegally towed.
Sergeant Nicholas Castrinos, who executed a search warrant for the company in December, said over 1,000 entries in the police department's system are related to the investigation.
"No formal charges have been levied and we need to follow up with victims to make sure that the victims' records that we retrieved from that business are actually accurate," Castrinos said.
Castrinos said possible fraud, like overcharging for towing fees or drop fees, dates back to 2019.
"The towing happened all over the metro Richmond area, our records indicate as all the way down near Petersburg, as far north as Henrico and Hanover," he said.
The initial investigation started in November of 2022, following specific complaints coming from drivers in the Fan district.
Anber Abad, a student at Virginia Commonwealth University who lives in the area, said she's always bought a parking pass at school to avoid bad towing practices. She said she's heard of companies overcharging for drop fees or towing fees.
"A lot of towing companies haven't been very truthful about the drop fee. Like, if you get to your car on time, they can drop it at a certain amount, but they've been exaggerating the cost," Abad said.
City code says an initial tow is not supposed to exceed $135 and companies can only charge more after it's been 24 hours. Drop fees should not exceed $40.
Most of the cases Richmond Police are investigating involve private towing companies, not towing that is regulated by the police.
"All of this is surrounding private towing, not police towing. So, for example, if your vehicle was towed for street cleaning, there's different regulations and fees and schedules for when you can pick up your vehicle. When it's towed from a private lot, for example, the lot that we're standing in, if a tow company came here, that's what the regulation is for," Castrinos said.
Castrinos said the department believes more companies may be breaking the rules aside from the one company currently being investigated.
"There is a possible concern that there is more illegal activity that's going on that hasn't been brought to the attention of the police. And this gives a conduit for the citizens to report that to officers directly who are already working on a similar case," he said.
Individuals may be sent a letter alerting them to the possible fraud and providing instructions for contacting RPD.
Illegal practices can include:
- Towing from unauthorized areas
- Having been charged in excess of the maximum $135 for the initial tow
- Having been charged in excess of the drop fee of $40 when the vehicle has been hooked but not yet towed away
- Storage fees that accrued due to an illegal tow
Anyone in the Richmond region who believes they may have been the victim of illegal practices by a towing company based in Richmond is asked to email towinginvestigation@rva.gov with any details that can be provided.
