Community: Fraud Alert: Do your research before hiring companies providing services.

Dear Nixle User,

The Arcadia Police Department recently learned about a theft of property by a moving company.  The victims hired a moving company to move their belongings to their new residence out of state.  The moving company picked up the victims belongings but never delivered it to their new residence.

The victims believe the moving company they hired is a fraudulent company.

The above incident is under investigation by Arcadia PD Investigators.

We recommend doing some research on any company before entering in an agreement with them.

Start with a simple internet search.  Search for reviews of the company.  When evaluating these reviews, look for more recent ones. Read the reviews, don’t just look at the ratings.  See what other customers are saying about the business.  Typically, people will write reviews for businesses that are really good, or really bad.

The Better Business Bureau (www.BBB.org) is a great place to get customer reviews on businesses.

Another place to search for ratings on businesses is Yelp (www.yelp.com).

Check the business address of the company on a mapping service (i.e.: Google Maps).  Verify the address is valid and that the business is located there.  If you find a business located in a residential area, that should be a reason to search further.

The Arcadia Police Department encourages you to research any business before engaging in an agreement for any services.  The more you know, the less likely you are to become a victim.