Wrong Towing Company Hauls Woman's Car Away; Charges Her $4,000

CHICAGO (CBS)—A Chicago woman has a warning to other drivers after a tow truck driver took her car and tried to charge her thousands of dollars to get it back.

Jaeleigh Jackson was pulling into a parking garage in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood Monday night when she hit a patch of black ice and damaged her car.

A tow truck arrived to help, but it was from a different company than she had requested through her insurance company.

Jackson figured the company had decided to send someone else. It wasn't until she got a phone call from her insurance agent that she realized something was wrong.

"I come to find out this company must have been listening to a police scanner of some sorts heard my name heard my location and showed up," Jackson said.

Jackson said the towing company tried to bill her insurer $4,000 for the tow.

She said the tow truck company wouldn't return her calls--- so she called police. They found her car at a lot on the South Side.

Jackson had taken photos of the tow truck, which had a decal with the name Ondevas Towing, Inc.

CBS 2 tracked the company back to a warehouse, but no one was there on Friday.

The owner, Jose Ortega, said on the phone that he fired the tow truck driver when he found out about the situation.

According to court records, four complaints have been filed against the company, which has been in business since last summer.

Ortega said he's aware of those complaints and says they've been handled.

Jackson is urging others to take pictures of the tow truck, the license plate, and more importantly, to ask questions before the tow.

If you have any issues, you can file a complaint with the Illinois Commerce Commission.