Bandit towers monitor police scanners and reach crash scenes before the driver's own insurer

Unlicensed or rogue tow operators listen to police and fire scanners, race to accident scenes, and hook vehicles before the driver — often injured or in shock — can call their own roadside assistance or insurance-approved tower. Once the vehicle is at their lot, they charge $500-$1,000/day in storage and refuse to release it to a competing shop without full payment in cash. NICB documented an 89% increase in predatory towing claims from 2022 to 2024, yet the practice persists because most states lack laws requiring police to maintain a tow rotation list, crash-scene chaos makes it impossible for victims to verify credentials, and tow operators face minimal criminal penalties even when caught.