Pittsburgh company accused of illegally inflating tow costs, charging $300K
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A Pittsburgh-based towing company owner is charged with inflating tow costs and billing more than $300,000 in fraudulent fees, officials said Thursday.
Vincent G. Fannick, 56, of Vince’s Towing was charged Thursday with 27 counts each of insurance fraud, theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking and securing execution of documents by deception.
He was arraigned, and bail was set at $25,000.
“This defendant allegedly preyed on consumers already in stressful situations, first by hiding costs when asking for invoice signatures, then by inflating prices for short tow jobs,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry said. “Predatory, deceptive business practices will not be tolerated in the commonwealth, and business owners who harm consumers to line their pockets will be held accountable.”
Fannick had a pattern of charging consumers’ insurance companies with “exorbitant tow costs” by initially not revealing prices on invoices and then charging the “accident services” fees, which cost 27 victims more than $100,000, according to investigators.
“Accident services are anything besides towing,” Fannick told an Erie Insurance investigator, according to a criminal complaint. “It could be any of the recoveries, anything to get it on the truck. It could be dolly wheels … any of the services, any of the cleanup.”
One consumer reported their insurance company had been charged $11,300 in 2023 by Vince’s Towing — for a short-trip tow the vehicle owner hadn’t requested — and $4,250 of that was denoted as an “accident services” fee.
“These actions targeted unsuspecting members of our community during their most vulnerable moments,” said Allegheny County Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns.
Between February 2023 and February 2024, law enforcement investigators learned of 26 other consumers who had been subjected to the same scam. Vehicle owners’ insurance companies were charged between $9,460 and $13,105 for single, short-trip tows. In one case, Fannick charged $9,805 for towing a vehicle one-third of a mile.
“Pittsburgh, with no towing ordinance in place, is leading the nation in these types of predatory cases,” said Christopher Sloan, executive director of the Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority. “The majority of tow operators are hardworking, honest professionals who provide a critical service. But it’s important that drivers know how to protect themselves against predatory tow operators and the outrageous fees that are plaguing Pittsburghers.”
The state has an online list of tips to help people ensure that tow truck drivers are reputable.
Among recommendations for motorists:
- Make sure your tow operator was dispatched by the police.
- Don’t sign any towing slip unless fees have been filled in.
- Ask for identification like a business card with company name, address and phone number, then provide your insurance company with the information.
A call to Fannick’s company was not returned.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 3.