Eight men and a woman are facing 160 charges in an alleged moving-company scam in which customers were told their possessions would be held for ransom or thrown off the truck if they did not pay additional fees, police say.
The group used such aggressive tactics that an elderly customer suffered a panic attack and collapsed, was taken to hospital and had her possessions dumped in a parking lot, where they were damaged by rain, police said.
As a result of an investigation dubbed “Project Overhaul,” which was sparked by a series of complaints in February, police have seized 13 moving trucks, a 2004 Audi, a 2001 Mercedes Benz and $20,000 in cash.
Police allege the moving company changed its name and created clone companies to avoid detection.
“Victims reported locating the companies in local newspapers or online classified ads on websites like Craigslist and Kiiji,” Staff Sergeant Blair Davey of 55 Division said.
The companies allegedly involved are: Indo-Pak Movers, Desi Movers, Supreme Movers, Comfortable Movers, Dynamic Movers, Dynamite Movers, Elizabeth Movers, Pacific Van Line Moving Inc., Master Movers, A1 Express Movers and Xpress Movers.
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