Police charge third suspect in Toronto moving scam
Toronto police have charged a third suspect wanted in a moving scam, after two men were arrested in the case last week.
Police allege that two men were operating several budget moving companies under different names.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Customers were provided a low-cost contract for moving their belongings and once the items were loaded onto a truck, the men would contact the customers and make a demand for more money, police said.
Customers were then forced to pay inflated prices in the thousands of dollars to receive their items, according to police. If they couldn’t pay, police said their items were held in an undisclosed warehouse, while incurring storage fees.
READ MORE: Moving scam victims out thousands of dollars as police search for third suspect
On June 24, police executed search warrants in the area of Bellamy Road and Progress Avenue and as a result arrested two men.
Toronto residents Cemal Ozturk and Dogan Celik, both 30 years old, face a charge of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and four counts each of false pretense, fraud over $5,000, mischief over $5,000, and possession of property obtained by crime.
Dogan Celik and Cemal Ozturk are seen in this undated image. (Toronto Police Service)
On Wednesday, police said they charged another suspect believed to be involved in the scam.
Twenty-seven-year-old Amethyst Jones, of Toronto, turned herself into police and faces the same charges laid against Ozturk and Celik.
“As part of this investigation, officers have recovered a substantial amount of personal items believed to be from victims. It will take some time to sort through them and return them to their owners. Victims can claim these items by contacting investigators at 416-808-4100,” police said in a news release.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact police at 416-808-4100, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.