Originally Posted by
azdude23
Beware of the individual mentioned in other comments in this forum who goes by the names Todd Towers, Tversky, Twersky, Lewis, Lillienthal and Annand. At least, those are the ones known about so far. He is now in Arizona pulling scams on people, trying to pass himself off as an automotive expert. He also claims to be an attorney and doctor.
Originally Posted by
California60
Yes, Todd Towers or whatever his name is has been scamming people in Scottsdale for awhile. [...] he tells you he is an attorney and a Doctor. He is now on LinkedIn claiming he is both.
In a case like this, Google is your friend.
Indeed, "Todd Towers" is on LinkedIn, and in the publicly visible portion of his profile, he uses the initials JD and MD. He also displays the logo for National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). His location is listed as Scottsdale, AZ.
However, a search of individuals who have passed the AZ bar (thus are licensed to practice law in the state of AZ) does not list a Todd Towers anywhere I can find. Further, THIS PAGE informs me that this LinkedIn listing might fall under the AZ definition of "Unauthorized Practice of Law":
What is the "unauthorized practice of law"?
The unauthorized practice of law is defined by Arizona Supreme Court Rule. Rule 31(a)(2)(B) states:
Unauthorized practice of law includes but is not limited to:
• Engaging in the practice of law by persons or entities not authorized to practice pursuant to paragraphs (b) or (c) or specifically admitted to practice pursuant to Rule 38(a);
• Using the designations, lawyer, attorney at law, counselor at law, law, law office, J.D., Esq., or other equivalent words by any person or entity not authorized to practice law in this state pursuant to paragraphs (b) or (c) or specifically admitted to practice pursuant to Rule 38(a), the use of which is reasonably likely to induce others to believe that the person or entity is authorized to engage in the practice of law in this state.
So right away there's two red flags for me.
Google can also help you find whether someone is licensed to practice medicine, and in what area(s):
https://gls.azmd.gov/glsuiteweb/clie...ionSearch.aspx
I can't get the name Todd Towers (or even someone with the surname Towers) to come up under any type of medical license in the state of Arizona.
Google can also get you the phone number of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, and you can ask them to verify certification. (I didn't bother; it's after hours now and considering the above results, certification wouldn't give me adequate confidence to take my vehicle to someone like this.)
EDIT: ASE requires you to complete and submit a form to find out if an individual holds current ASE certification, and in what areas. The forms are found
HERE. Unless you are (1) the individual or (2) an employer, you will use the
Third Part Certification Status Request Form. Ideally you will ask for and receive the individual's ASE Certificate number for most rapid and accurate response. Obviously this process isn't going to be fast enough if you're broken down somewhere and need to verify a mechanic's credentials, but it makes sense to confirm certification before any non-emergency repairs.
EDIT #2: ASE can't find any proof of certification for a Todd Towers in Arizona.
For kicks, I continued scrolling down the LinkedIn profile for Todd Towers, and there's a list of publications with impressive-sounding titles:
TT_fake_articles_12.11.2018.jpg
Some of those titles are hotlinks. Clicking them, I discover that the articles most definitely DO exist, and they are ALL written by other people ...
Suffice it to say, all this tells me this is the kind of individual I would NOT feel comfortable doing business with, and it also lends a LOT of credibility to the above quoted posts despite their anonymity.
Gwen
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
EDIT: In an interesting twist, the section of the LinkedIn profile (screenshot, above) was changed shortly after this post was made. The articles with hotlinked titles (and ONLY those four) now include the following disclaimer:
* Please note LinkedIn by default lists all publications as authored by the listing profile, without an option to further qualify the extent of participation (authorship) in the study. Where "Contributor" is listed, contribution to the publication occurred by way of bench top research ie) immunohistochemistry, tissue processing, study subject recruitment and marketing, or prior authorship or contribution which formed a basis thereof.
"Contribution" can't be verified via the internet (for free) because research articles typically only give title, author, date, source and an abstract. Because a large number of tangential contributors are not credited in the footnotes of typical published research, a statement of contribution likely cannot be verified by purchasing the complete versions of the above research papers, either. I do not claim to have knowledge of whether "contribution" was or was not made in this case. My points are only that:
- statements of possessing credentials are not the same thing as actually having those credentials; all of us as consumers are responsible for requesting documentation and (where appropriate) verifying that the documentation is genuine, and
- all kinds of people DO watch the public areas of this forum and/or end up here after their own Google searches, so use caution when posting personal or identifying information about yourself, and be extra-cautious when cold-contacted by nonmembers and new members, especially if you have posted that you NEED a particular part for your Van or Previa.