A federal grand jury has indicted 12 individuals for conspiring in a racketeering enterprise that defrauded over 900 customers through deceptive practices at moving companies located across the United States. The indictment alleges that the defendants lied about the experience and reviews of the moving companies, provided low estimates but inflated prices after goods were loaded, and in some cases stole goods if additional payment was not made. BBB warns consumers to carefully research movers online to avoid being victimized by companies that undercut estimates without properly conducting an in-home survey.

1. theMarketMonitor
N E W S F O R B E T T E R B U S I N E S S B U R E A U A C C R E D I T E D B U S I N E S S E S
®
B E T T E R B U S I N E S S B U R E A U S E R V I N G G R E A T E R C L E V E L A N D
A federal grand
jury has charged
12 individuals
with conspiring
in a racketeering
enterprise to
defraud individuals
through their
moving companies
located throughout
the United States,
including in Florida, Ohio, Maryland, North
Carolina, Illinois, Texas, California, Connecticut,
Colorado and Missouri. More than 900 customers
have been identified as victims of the scheme
thus far.
According to the indictment, the defendants
operated and worked through a number of
affiliated moving companies operated principally
out of a business address in Hollywood, FL and
had a warehouse in West Chester, OH between
April 2013 through July 2018.
To execute the alleged scheme, the defendants
allegedly lied to customers about how long their
moving companies had been in business and also
allegedly created fake online reviews, praising the
work of their moving companies.
When potential customers contacted the
defendants, the defendants would allegedly
provide customers with low binding estimates
to do their move, promising to beat their
competitor’s prices. After the customers agreed
to hire the moving companies, employees of
INSIDE: B2B Discounts • PetLeasing • LaborLawPostings • IRSScammersIndicted
PornScams • QuickTips Tuesday • HowtoStayOutofCourt • FoundationFocus
AUGUST 2018
SERVICE TO THE
COMMUNITY
Greater Cleveland BBB Activity
January - July 2018
Reports issued on companies/
charities: 917,821
Customer complaints filed: 4,493
Customer reviews
submitted: 3,734
bbb.org/cleveland visits: 691,123
Advertising review cases
initiated: 77
the moving companies would allegedly load
the customers’ goods onto the truck and then
bump up the price of the move. Under federal
regulations, in a binding estimate a customer
and the motor carrier must both agree in
writing to a charge for services prior to the
start of any work. When an estimate is binding,
USDOT prevents interstate carriers from raising
the price of the move after loading customers’
items.
The defendants and the moving companies
would allegedly refuse to give back the
household goods until customers paid the
inflated prices. If customers did not pay the
inflated prices on the moves, it is alleged, the
defendants would, in some cases, steal the
customers’ household goods, never
delivering them.
A Louisiana couple hoping to relocate to
Westlake, OH, told BBB they were forced to live
in a hotel with their three dogs until they agreed
to pay over $3,000 in additional fees to receive
their belongings. Fortunately, they ultimately
got their delivery but not before they paid over
$5,000 for a move that was originally estimated
to cost much less.
BBB warns consumers to carefully scrutinize
movers found online who undercut other
estimates. Also, insist the company visit your
home to do an accurate inventory of your items
and check all potential movers at
bbb.org.
FEDS COME DOWN ON MOVERS WHO
FAILED TO DELIVER THE GOODS
Planning a Move?
• Do your research.
Check bbb.org
• Don’t get estimates by phone
or email. Show the mover
everything that needs to be
moved (don’t forget sheds
and garages).
• Don’t choose based on price
alone. The lowest price may not
be the best mover.
• Get all agreements in writing.
• Protect your possessions.
Make sure your mover provides
full-value protection insurance
for any lost or damaged
possessions.
• Take your valuables with
you. Cash, coins, jewelry,
photographs and important
papers should be taken with
you or shipped separately using
a shipping service with tracking
numbers and insurance.
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PET LEASING MAY NOT BE THE CAT’S MEOW
If your local pet store offers to let you make monthly payments
for your pricey pooch, be sure to read the fine print. You may be
signing up for a pet lease - not a pet purchase.
Pet leasing is a relatively new industry and at least two states
have already made it illegal. Leasing a pet has the same types of
pitfalls as leasing an automobile. When the lease ends, you do not
own the pet. You have to pony up additional funds if you want to
own your pet. And, if you fail to make payments, your pet could
be repossessed. You can also damage your credit report if you default. Worse yet, if the pet is
lost, stolen, or dies, you could still be on the hook for the entire lease agreement or forced to
pay a substantial early termination fee.
BBB warns that pet leasing contracts are nothing to monkey around with. Read the contract
carefully and understand the full cost of owning your pet in the long term.
LABOR LAW POSTINGS REQUIRED IN OHIO
BBB often gets calls from local businesses asking for a reputable source for all the state and
federally required labor law posters.
Typically these calls follow an official-looking mailing the business received from what appears
to be a government entity. The sender of one such mailing recently came under fire from the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC charged that Starwood Consulting LLC, also doing
business as Corporate Compliance Services, sent mailers to newly established businesses. The
notices directed them to pay $84 for posters and warned that, “Failure to comply with posting
regulations can lead to fines of up to $17,000.” To convince businesses that the mailers were
invoices that must be paid, the mailers cited multiple federal statutes and listed a “Business ID”
number and a response deadline.
The FTC alleged that the defendants, who are not part of, or affiliated with, any government
agency or authority, have received more than $800,000 from more than 9,000 businesses.
There is no need to pay anyone for the required postings. The Ohio Department of Job and
Family Services provides a free printable download at
http://www.odjfs.state.oh.us/forms/num/JFS02745/pdf/
IRS SCAMMERS INDICTED
A vast network of scammers who posed as IRS agents demanding
immediate payment of phony back taxes was halted in July when
over 21 conspirators were sentenced to prison terms and hefty
judgments. From 2012 through 2016 more than 15,000 victims
in the United States lost “hundreds of millions” of dollars to the
sophisticated scam, and more than 50,000 individuals had their
personal information misused, the department said Friday. The
money was routed through call centers in India back to the ringleaders in eight states. In
addition, 32 contractors in India involving five call centers in Ahmedabad, a city in western
India, have been indicted on wire fraud, money laundering and other conspiracy charges as
part of the operation, the department said.
The calls targeted the most vulnerable Americans, including immigrants and older people.
Callers spoofed their phone numbers so Caller ID would identify them as being with the U.S.
government. Under threat of arrest or deportation, victims were instructed to pay the phony
debt using prepaid gift cards. When the scammers were given the gift card numbers and PIN,
they resold the cards and use the funds to purchase money orders or wire transfers.
The IRS does not call to demand immediate payment and does not accept gift cards. If you
owe back taxes, the IRS will contact you by mail. Collection agencies used by the IRS will not
threaten you with immediate arrest or other consequences.
BBB Scam Tracker has been receiving reports of an old scam with a new twist.
B2B DISCOUNTS FOR
BBB ACCREDITED
BUSINESSES
Easton Telecom Phone service
rates ranging as low as 5% off
most retail services. For a no-
obligation cost comparison and
service analysis, contact Jim
Butler at (800) 222-8122.
Intellicorp Records, Inc. offers
online criminal checks for
$17.07 each. Other reports also
discounted. Call
(800) 539-3717.
Office Depot discount on office
supplies and printing. Contact
Jessica Samp at
(248) 842-7514 or jessica.
samp@officedepot.com. Use
SPC Account #8012 380 6671.
PartnerShip®
offers discounts
on select FedEx®
services
including express packages,
ground packages, and
residential delivery, on both
new and existing FedEx®
accounts. Also save at
least 70% on standard and
guaranteed LTL freight
shipments with UPS Freight,
YRC Freight, Con-way Freight,
and other reputable carriers,
including competitive pricing
on truckload, expedited, and
tradeshow shipments. Call
(800) 599-2902.
Company 119 launched an app
to help you easily get customer
reviews that are sent to your
BBB Business Profile. This
is offered free only to BBB
Accredited Businesses. To sign
up, go to maxfeedback.com/
bbb.
Some member discount programs
generate revenue which BBB reinvests
into the organization’s operations.

3. bbb.org/cleveland
theMarketMonitor
BBB WARNING: PORN SCAMS
TAKE A NEW TURN
“Revenge porn” is the distribution, or threat of
distribution, of explicit photos or videos of a victim
in order to blackmail them. Sometimes the victim
knows the perpetrator, and it’s personal. But often
the scammer is a stranger and the goal of the
blackmail can be phishing or smishing (to obtain
money now), identity theft (to later impersonate the
victim), or installation of malware on a computer (to
steal passwords or expand the scam to others).
It can happen via email, letter, or text. If you are
threatened with this, do not click on any unknown
links or download any attachments. Doing so
could lead you to a fake site designed to trick you into giving up personal information or can
download malware to your computer or mobile device.
A new twist on this scam presents victims with threats of revealing they watched or
downloaded porn. Even if you’ve never visited such a site or viewed such materials, don’t think
that it can’t happen to you. The scammer will contact people and claim they have hacked their
computer and activated their webcam, allowing them to access all the porn sites the victim has
visited. The scammer then threatens to send that information to family, friends, co-workers,
and more if a payment is not made.
Recent submissions to BBB Scam Tracker state the criminals want to be paid in Bitcoin, a
virtual currency that is legitimate but very difficult to trace. They may also claim to have an old
password and will download malware on your computer if you do not make a payment.
Red flags:
• The scammer does not provide any details about what site you supposedly visited.
• The scammer cannot back up their threat with any evidence.
• The scammer requests an urgent ransom be paid in gift cards, bitcoins or wire transfer.
Protect Yourself:
• Never send money! Don’t respond to threats.
• Keep your security software up to date.
• Enable two-factor authentication on your important accounts.
• Change passwords often.
• Never send compromising images of yourself to anyone, no matter who they are—or who
they say they are.
• Do not open attachments from people you do not know.
• Turn off your electronic devices and keep webcams covered when you’re not using them.
BBB RAMPS UP
ADVERTISING
Your BBB is running a series of local radio,
digital, and print advertising to promote
the value of BBB accreditation. Ads
are running on 1100 AM WTAM during
morning traffic reports as well as 92.5
The Fan, 98.5 WNCX, Star102, and Q104.
Visitors to the Wolstein Center will be
greeted by a 15 foot tall arena entrance
wrap like the one to the right.
Mini webinars (under 15
minutes) to help you maximize
your BBB accreditation.
September 18 @ 9 am
Small Business Scams
October 16 @ 9 am
Cyber Security Awareness
How to Stay Out
of Court
Hosted by Cleveland
Metropolitan Bar Association
Join BBB Accredited Business,
The Gertsburg Law Firm Co.,
LPA, as they share strategies
for saving companies money
both inside and outside the
courts.
September 20, 2018
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
CMBA Conference Center
One Cleveland Center
1375 East Ninth Street
$20 per person includes lunch
Register at:
bit.ly/CMBASeptember20
A Community
of Trustworthy
Businesses
Find One.
Become One.
bbb.org
Cleveland State University is a
Better Business Bureau
Community Partner

4. The Market Monitor
Better Business Bureau
2800 Euclid Avenue, 4th Floor
Cleveland, OH 44115-2417
The Market Monitor (ISSN 1085-5122). August 2018. Volume 14 No. 4. Published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October and December by the Better Business Bureau, Inc. 2800 Euclid Avenue, 4th Floor,
Cleveland, OH 44115-2417, Periodicals postage paid at Cleveland, OH. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Market Monitor, 2800 Euclid Avenue, 4th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44115-2417.
Periodicals Postage Paid
The Market Monitor
Better Business Bureau
2800 Euclid Avenue, 4th Floor
Cleveland, OH 44115-2417
Periodicals Postage Paid
AUGUST 2018
BBB’s Senior Awareness Initiative provides fraud awareness
to our area’s most vulnerable residents. Scams targeting
older consumers run the gamut from telemarketing fraud,
home repair fraud, medical quackery, and grandparent scams.
Quarterly fraud alerts are sent to over 500 senior-focused
agencies, housing facilities, and senior centers throughout our
five-county service area. We attend community events and
speak at dozens of senior centers each year. Your donations
to BBB’s Educational Foundation help make this possible.
FOUNDATION FOCUS
BBB SENIOR AWARENESS
INITIATIVE