Inside the police bust targeting movers accused of scamming customers
CBC
The two men had avoided criminal charges for their alleged moving scam, even after years of customer complaints. But when they arrived at their Scarborough, Ont., business park in June, undercover police in more than a dozen vehicles were waiting.
The takedown was immediate.
In the weeks that followed, the charge sheet would grow to more than 800 counts, including fraud, theft and conspiracy, related to more than a dozen moving companies operated by the men that moved customers locally and across the country.
It is perhaps the largest ever prosecution of movers accused of scamming their customers.
None of the allegations has been proven in court.
As Dogan Celik and Cemal Ozturk were led away in handcuffs, a CBC Marketplace team was watching.
This is the story of how the case came together.
WATCH | Exclusive video shows alleged moving scammers arrested:
Complaints had been steady for years, to police, the Better Business Bureau, Consumer Protection Ontario and online reviews.
But investigators suggest that when a moving company name became too problematic, the name would be changed. A reset of sorts to wipe the slate clean.
"The new company names that were created back in March of this year weren't on our radar," said Const. Chris Long of Toronto police.
His investigation began soon after a Marketplace episode aired that looked into the same set of moving companies, but police say they were not aware of that episode until later in their own investigation.
The alleged scam uncovered by Marketplace appears to be identical to what police later found. It would begin with a customer being offered a quote or estimate based on what the movers described as an industry standard. On moving day, they had customers sign a new contract.
But "once that victim's property was en route to their destination, they were contacted by a representative of the company and told that they would have to pay much higher prices, sometimes in the range of 300 to 500 per cent of the original estimate," said Long.
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is looking for 50 substitute bus drivers, and it'll be recruiting at three job fairs on Saturday, June 8. The job fairs are located at the Atlantic Superstore in Montague, Royalty Crossing in Charlottetown, and the bus parking lot of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. All three run from 9 a.m. until noon. Dave Gillis, the director of transportation and risk management for the Public Schools Branch, said the number of substitute drivers they're hiring isn't unusual. "We are always looking for more. Our drivers tend to have an older demographic," he said.