One of the men behind a multi-million dollar moving scam in Chicago was recently sentenced to prison.
The scam is an NBC 5 answer that was first reported on four years ago.
Prosecutors said employees of the moving company, which operates under the name “New City Moves,” stole more than $3 million from more than 800 customers — many of them in the Chicago area.
Earlier this month, Andre Prince, a senior salesman 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. The other employee was awaiting sentencing on Monday.
Meanwhile, the company’s owner fled pending trial and is considered a fugitive, according to prosecutors.
Here’s how prosecutors say the scam worked:
First, “New City Moves” chose a name very similar to a Chicago company with 4.2 stars with the Better Business Bureau, called “New City Moving.” It’s just three letters off, which was enough to trick many customers into using the scam 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 sometimes forced to pay three times the original quote to get their items 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 scamyou can file a complaint with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.