Moving company scams have caused at least three Charlotte families to lose thousands of dollars in personal belongings in the past six months, according to Detective Richard “Tod” Taylor of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. This is a national problem, and there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.
Last month alone, there were at least two instances where suspects fraudulently identified themselves as professional movers. The families collectively lost more than $100,000 in their personal belongings, including items that were irreplaceable. During their investigations, detectives have determined that the scammers had a website that appeared to promote the services of a legitimate business.
Further investigation indicates the initial contact with the suspect during these scams is conducted by a seemingly knowledgeable person, and then continues with an arrival of team members to pick up the furniture, household items and other belongings. Once the scammers have loaded the items into the moving vehicle(s), they will ask for partial payment for their services. Instead of travelling to the family’s intended destination, the mover(s) will fake a mechanical issue with their moving vehicle as justification for taking a different route. When the families attempt to make contact with the moving company, they do not receive a response.
These cases are occurring countrywide, and they oftentimes involve the crossing of state lines, so the CMPD is working with its federal partners to investigate. There are measures to take to minimize being victimized by scams of this nature. The CMPD encourages the community to use a local company that someone they trust has recommended. Once a company has been identified, do some background work before hiring them. We also recommend checking with the North Carolina’s Utility Commission and Better Business Bureau.
The images below are of three persons of interest in these cases, and detectives at the CMPD would like to speak with them. Anyone who recognizes any of these people is asked to let us know by calling 911. The public can also leave anonymous information by contacting Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 orhttp://charlottecrimestoppers.com/. Additional information about these investigations can be found in their reports: 20201031-1928-01, 20210703-1242-02 and 20210730-1134-01.
| PERSONS OF INTEREST | ||
 |
 |
 |
