According to police, Paramount Towing, along with other rival Greater Toronto towing groups, have allegedly been involved in defrauding insurance companies with vehicles involved in collisions and staged collisions. “The towing companies partnered with auto repair shops, as well as car and truck rental companies, to carry out their frauds,” police said. Police said insurance companies hired lawyers and pursued legal action against numerous towing companies. Investigators also allege that Carr Law firm in Vaughan, Ont., hired by the insurance companies, became the target of violence, threats and extortion. York Regional Police say they have charged 20 people and laid hundreds of organized crime-related charges after an investigation into ongoing tow truck turf wars. “The Greater Toronto Area has been the scene of violence between rival tow truck companies who have been fighting over financial profits from the towing of vehicles and, the most significant source of profit, the frauds following the initial tow,” York Regional Police said in a news release. “The competition for control of the towing market has resulted in murders, attempted murders, assaults, arsons, threats and property damage.” On April 30 and May 1, warrants were executed in Brantford and Hamilton, where five suspects were taken into custody and charged. On May 20, York Regional Police, with help from the Ontario Provincial Police and Toronto Police Service, executed 21 search warrants at residences and businesses in Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Hamilton, Oakville, Toronto, Aurora and East Gwillimbury. Three suspects were arrested and charged. Police have revealed that evidence seized in the search warrants includes:
A full list released by police indicated 20 people were charged. The hundreds of charges laid include participating in a criminal organization, fraud, extortion, robbery, arson, trafficking numerous drugs including fentanyl, multiple firearm-related offences, attempted murder and first-degree murder. “With the accused facing charges, and their assets seized, we expect the extreme level of violence we have seen in our community to diminish,” Supt. Mike Slack, officer in charge of organized crime and intelligence services with York Regional Police, said. Tow Truck Etobicoke & Tow Truck Mississauga are proud to report no involvement in this investigation!If you've landed on this page while searching for a 'tow truck near me' then give us a call!
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After experiencing a car accident, instead of quickly googling “tow truck near me” some accident victims needn’t look that far for help.
In Waterloo, Ontario, about an hour outside of Toronto, tow truck drivers would often linger near accident scenes offering their tow truck services—similar to the notorious personal injury lawyers known as “ambulance chasers.” Some car owners across the Greater Toronto area innocently searching for “towing company near me” got more than they bargained for, as almost $1 million worth of vehicles have been recovered by Durham police during their investigation in unlawful tow truck service practices. Among the vehicles they recovered were two luxury cars, a Ferrari 488 and a BMW M4.
This video by CBC Marketplace discusses the bylaws that tow truck operators are required to abide by. It's technically illegal for a tow truck driver to show up at your scene without you calling them. They are not allowed to 'prey' on you. They may twist the truth and claim to be working with the police or claim that someone else radioed them in. You do not have to give these tow truck drivers in Etobicoke, Toronto or Mississauga permission to tow your car. You should only allow your car to get towed if you've called a tow truck and by the tow truck company who answered the phone when you called.
Grey County, Ontario OPP suspended the permit of a tow truck driver after purportedly smelling liquor and requiring a breathalyzer test.
“If you have a Class G driver’s licence, you could go to a tow truck company tomorrow, get some on the job training, and basically have a truck to drive and you could be towing a vehicle ...There really should be some provincial certification requirement to operate a tow truck in Ontario and that would come along with licensing and training requirements.”
Teresa Di Felice, CAA SCO’s assistant vice president of government and community relations
"This is another strong example of why drivers need to be more aware of emergency vehicles on the highway. This video, it just supports the campaign that the OPP and the agencies are doing over the weekend, trying to get the message out to people to slow down and move over,"
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June 2020
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