Transient Arrested in Tow Truck Scheme
- Share via
Police have arrested a 51-year-old transient who allegedly fleeced about 50 residents with a story about needing money for a tow truck to remove his daughter’s stranded car from a freeway.
Joseph Ware, 51, was arrested Wednesday in a parking lot near 33rd Street and Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach Police Sgt. Steve Filippini said Thursday.
In the last few weeks, police had received dozens of complaints involving a con man who told residents that he needed money to pay for a tow truck.
The scam artist knocked on people’s front doors at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m., telling them he was an official from Cal State Long Beach, said Det. Greg McMullen of the major fraud unit.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
