One of the men behind a multi million dollar moving scam in Chicago was recently sentenced to prison time.
The scam is one NBC 5 Responds first reported on four years ago.
Prosecutors said employees of the moving company, operating under the name “New City Moves,” stole more than $3 million from over 800 customers – many of them in the Chicago area.
Earlier this month, Andre Prince, a senior sales representative for the company was sentenced to two years in prison for his role. Prince and a customer service representative were convicted of wire fraud conspiracy. That other employee was awaiting sentencing as of Monday.
Meantime, the company’s owner fled while awaiting trial, and according to prosecutors, he’s considered a fugitive.
Here’s how prosecutors say the scam worked:
First, “New City Moves” chose a name very similar to a Chicago company with a 4.2 star rating with the Better Business Bureau, called “New City Moving.” It’s only three letters off, which was enough to fool many customers into hiring the imposter company.
Federal prosecutors said Prince posted fake reviews online and quoted customers very low prices over the phone. But once items were in the moving trucks, customers were forced to pay sometimes triple the original quote to get their stuff back. The FBI and prosecutors said the company also operated under the names “Great Moving USA,” “Green Movers,” “Cross Country Moving And Storage” and “Movers Consulting.”
If you have been the victim of a similar fraud, you can file a complaint with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.