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 alledgedly 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:
After years of complaints, movers who police allege would quote low but charge high moving prices are arrested, and have hundreds of charges laid against them.
The movers’ methods
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…
