Chicago residents have been ensnared in a moving scam run by a company that has been involved with deceit and false promises, leading to a federal prison sentence of up to 20 years for two employees involved. The scam, masterminded under the guise of "New City Moves," a play on a legitimate local business "New City Moving," swindled more than 800 victims over three years out of upwards of $3 million, NBC Chicago reports.
The fraudulent operation, which also hid behind names like "Great Moving USA," "Green Movers," and "Movers Consulting," among other, drew in customers with lowball phone quotes, only to hold their belongings hostage for up to triple the amount upon delivery. The company's owner remains a fugitive, and those complicit in the scheme face serious jail time for their roles in this interstate swindle. The egregious nature of this scam reverberated with a statement from victim Marion Schmekel to NBC Chicago, "I've moved several times and never run into something as crazy as this."
In a similar vein of deception, investigations by CBS Chicago have exposed another moving company, which, along with other entities, has been indicted on federal charges for operating a fraudulent $12 million scheme. The company made headlines after a move it botched for Brigitte Doherty resulted in the loss of her family's belongings and irreplaceable heirlooms.
"It makes me so mad that they kept all our money for a service they wrecked," Doherty told CBS Chicago, expressing her frustration over the disaster that unfolded. The culprits behind the scam, Matthew Pardi, and Ashley Lynn Hars, now face indictments for inflating fees, withholding services, and crafting false 5-star reviews, according to federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania. Even with safeguards put forth by organizations like the Better Business Bureau, fraudulent reviews can still permeate the very resources consumers rely on to make informed choices.
The bane of fake reviews continues to plague the online world, as said by BBB Chicago president and CEO Steve Bernas to CBS Chicago, "We do have safeguards in place, but I have to admit - like every other organization; Amazon and others - that there are fake reviews that get past those safety nets." Customers are left to tread cautiously, parsing through potentially bogus accolades even after the indictment of companies involved in such fraudulent activities.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this article misstated that the current owners of a moving company were involved in a $12 million fraud scheme. A representative of the new owners clarified that the fraudulent activities were associated with the former owners of a company that did business under that same name prior to selling it, and there is no evidence of such activities under the company's current ownership.
