Fair Park Towing Scam

I've been following this story about the towing of parking lots full of vehicles during the Texas-OU game on Saturday. People parked their cars in lots with attendants wearing orange jackets and carrying flags. They paid $10 for a parking space. When they came out of the Fair after the Texas-OU game, their cars had been towed by Lone Star Auto Services and they had to pay $200 cash or debit (no credit cards) to retrieve their vehicles.

Today, the Dallas Morning News reports that Dallas city officials are looking into the scam. Public Works and Transportation officials say they need customers who were scammed to file complaints with the city's transportation regulation department. Call Ruben Padilla at (214) 670-3358 to find out how to file your complaint.

Lone Star Auto Services say they had signed contracts with the parking lot owners two days before and were simply responding to requests from the owners to clear out unauthorized cars. They've offered a $1000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the scam. They say they are also victims.

They're victims? I'm willing to give the towing company the benefit of the doubt. It's entirely possible some enterprising individuals removed "No Parking" signs from the trees in the lots, filled up the lots with unsuspecting out-of-towners, then replaced the "No Parking" signs on the trees and left with cash in their pockets. Thieves aren't generally known for tidying up when they leave, but perhaps these are new at the business. But the idea that a company that made a lot of money -- however inadvertently -- off this scam is a victim is just stretching belief too much.