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Los Angeles, California (KCAL, KCBS) – A moving company that appears to be stealing the identity of legitimate moving companies online continues to cheat and dry up unsuspecting families.
Rudi and Bob Wilson, who have lived in a rented apartment without their facility for more than a year, thought they were the only ones scammed by a moving company until they saw CBSLA’s interview with Steve Ruppe, a victim of the same scam who lost $ 5,000 and was left unassisted on moving day.
The Wilsons said they lost a $ 10,000 cash payment, their furniture, art, and priceless heirlooms when they moved from Coto De Caza to a location outside of state.
“They don’t care about the grief you go through when you lose your life,” said Rudi Wilson.
Her husband, Bob, said the worst part was that the scammers got all of their pictures, their family memorabilia, and that when he saw Ruppe’s story, he thought this scam couldn’t go on.
“At this point I just want to stop her,” he said.
However, the president of the trade association that represents the licensed moving companies in the state said it wasn’t necessarily that simple.
“In my opinion, there is an entire network, a criminal company, of people operating on the Internet with the sole aim of defrauding consumers in the moving and storage industry,” said Steve Weitekamp, president of the California Moving and Storage Association .
Since April, Weitekamp has said he has received at least five complaints a week from families who have lost their deposits, some in the thousands like the Wilsons, and all of their possessions.
“Even if you take the next step and get online and look for the reputation of that name, these may not be the people you are actually dealing with. You could get in touch with someone who is carrying out identity theft of a company, ”said Weitekamp.
He called it the perfect crime.
“Federal agencies haven’t done a good job protecting consumers, and illegal moving companies know this. That is why it has been a ripe field for harvesting for a long time, ”says Weitekamp.
The Wilson said they were escorted to a warehouse in Commerce where they were told their items were being stored. When they showed up, they were told that their names were nowhere on file.
Weitekamp warns that if you are planning a move, do not hire a foreign company and do not leave a deposit of more than a few hundred dollars.
To stay safe, experts suggest finding a moving company with a presence within 80 miles of your home, checking its license with the Bureau of Household Goods and Services, and calling the California Moving and Storage Association in advance.
“It’s incredibly bad and just because you’ve been cheated on once doesn’t mean you won’t be cheated again,” said Weitekamp.
As for the Wilsons, they said they went to the FBI, the Department of Consumer Affairs, and they filed a police report with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and got nowhere.
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