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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Some University of Nevada, Las Vegas students are fighting back against a tow company they say towed dozens of cars illegally. Feeling they had nowhere to turn, the students contacted Action News asking how they could get their money back.

"I've parked here on and off for the last two years, and never had any problems," says Samuel Tam, a student at UNLV.

Samuel, Daniel, and Kim are all UNLV students who have used several cul-de-sacs off of Cottage Grove and Maryland Parkway to park their cars while going to class. On Feb. 9, 2012 though, they and several others came back to a near empty street.

"I was walking and I didn't see my truck there. I was like, where's my truck at? What happened to it? Did it get stolen," asked Kim Moller, another UNLV student.

They call themselves victims of predatory towing.

"They came out here with fleets of trucks, just shuttling back and forth as quick as they can get them to the lot, let's come and tow another car, without any prior warning or anything like that," says Daniel Reece, who also attends UNLV.

"How much did you end up having to pay to get your truck out," asked Action News reporter Marco Villarreal.
"$220! Plus after that I had to buy a parking place for UNLV. $56," exclaims Moller.

According to state law, "A sign (must be) displayed in plain view on the property declaring public parking to be prohibited or restricted."

Something the parent company of Quality Towing says happened. In a statement from United Road Towing it reads:

"The owners of the complex, which is posted as private property, hired our company to preserve
its tenants' parking rights.

Warning signs were clearly posted on every street in advance of the vehicle removals and our
employees even walked the neighborhood for several days cautioning students about the
renewed enforcement.

The removals at University Park followed state and county towing regulations and a review
with investigators found no irregularities."

Sure enough when we went out there we found plenty of new-looking signs on every corner.

"They told us it was private property, but there were no signs posted," says Reece.

The students say phone video, shot on the day of the towing, shows a Stop sign without the warning signs the tow company says claims were there.

"These signs behind me are a new addition that they put up, actually immediately following us getting towed," says Reece.

Students say they asked Quality Towing employees why they were being towed and they were referred to these signs. They argue this has to do with the apartment complex's parking lot and not what they thought were public streets.

Clark county confirmed the circles off of Cottage Grove are indeed private property and have been for some time. Now these students want justice and have filed complaints with the Nevada Transportation Authority.

"If I can't get my money back, I want them to get really big citations, you know? Because it's not fair. They made bank that day, because they towed like a hundred cars," says Moller.

The Nevada Transportation Authority confirms they have received complaints and are investigating that day's towing. If found in the wrong, Quality Towing may get cited and have to refund the drivers their money. The NTA says you can still submit a complaint by clicking here.