That requirement was intended to ensure that vehicles were, in fact, parked illegally before they were towed. In December , however, the requirement was removed and tow truck operators were given permission to take digital photos of a vehicle as proof that it was parked illegally.
Photos showing the car parked illegally, the car's license plate, and the sign identifying that parking is prohibited are required before any car is towed. But operators routinely submit photos that don't clearly show why a car is being towed, he noted.
The photos can be snapped in a dark alley and tell very little. She was traveling and unavailable for comment on Tuesday. One exception: Cars parked illegally at a hospital can be towed without notification to police. The other bills would create a citywide database of all private driveways, properties and lots where towing companies have contracts to tow vehicles.
Right now, Bodzin said, tow operators are required to keep records showing all locations of their signs as well as copies of the contractual agreements with property owners. An online, publicly accessible database would cut down on signs being posted at lots where there are no contracts — including lots where signs are being moved —by allowing parking "violators" to confirm online that the tow was legal, Bodzin said.
The bills would also require that a towing company's signage be inspected by a city office — which office would have this authority has not yet been determined — and then affixed with a sticker to note that the sign is legitimate.
Under the proposed legislation, towing operators would "be required to register like any other company in the city. The bills are not yet on City Council's calendar for a vote, and Bodzin said it would require some city resources to build the online database. A large percentage of consumer problems are resolved at this level. Many companies have toll-free telephone numbers, often printed on the product. Keep records of your efforts and include notes with whom you spoke and what was done about the problem.
Save copies of any letters you send to the company as well as letters sent to you. Complaint letters should include your name, address, home and work telephone numbers, and account number, if appropriate.
Make your letter brief and to the point. Specify all the important facts about your purchase, including the date and place you made the purchase and any information you can give about the product, such as the serial or model number.
If you are writing to complain about a service you received, describe the service and who performed it. If you have exhausted your efforts to resolve a problem without success, we encourage you to file a formal complaint with the Attorney General Office as soon as possible.
Please note that we cannot give specific legal advice to individuals. If you have questions concerning the specific application or interpretation of the law, you should consult a private attorney. If you do not have an attorney you can call your county lawyer referral service or your county bar association.
The Pennsylvania Bar Association, toll free , or website, offers county lawyer referral offices. Other agencies may be accessed through the blue pages of your telephone directory.
When we receive your complaint form, it will be reviewed by our staff. The Bureau of Consumer Protection receives more than 50, complaints per year, so it may take some time before we can thoroughly review your complaint. The City of Philadelphia Records Department has a Document Notice Program that attempts to combat fraud by informing property owners of real estate transactions that are registered with the City. By notifying property owners, the City is giving owners opportunities to take corrective action after their property has been transferred fraudulently.
The Records Department will notify current property owners each time a deed or mortgage is recorded by mailing them a letter giving details of the transaction. This notification gives property owners the ability to verify transactions and provides notice of possible fraud involving their property. Under Pennsylvania law, the Records Department is mandated to record all deed and mortgage documents if they are filled out completely, even if the information later proves false.
The city of Philadelphia has announced new steps to thwart those who steal houses from unsuspecting owners. Philadelphia officials announced a series of safeguards Wednesday intended to crack down on the theft of houses and lots in the city. Housing theft has become endemic in Philadelphia as gentrification has spread and property values have risen in increasingly desirable neighborhoods, a series of Inquirer articles has shown over the last year.
Fraudsters forge deeds and pose as fake heirs to take ownership of properties and flip them to developers for big profits. The city records commissioner, James Leonard, unveiled a system called Fraud Guard , which will automatically email people any time their names appear on a deed, mortgage, or other real estate record filed with the city.
The web address to sign up for the service is phila. Those who receive such alerts and suspect they are a victim of fraud may view the documents online free. For the first time, Leonard said, the city has begun creating a permanent database of all notaries who verify real estate transactions.
The idea is to create a tool, viewable in Philadox, to enable prosecutors and police to spot patterns of crime, such as the repeated use of a particular notary on suspicious deals.
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