The thieves that robbed The Flooring Marketplace earlier this summer of four truckloads of wood flooring are part of a crime ring that has stolen $1.3 million of flooring from 12 United States sellers since winter, the company said.
The Flooring Marketplace, part of TW Flooring Group (Pennsauken, N.J.), has developed relationships with investigators working on the case and asks any new victims to contact the company's VP of partner development, George Celtrick.
The Flooring Marketplace asks that Canadian finishing companies be on the lookout for suspicious incoming products. Any information should be relayed to the Toronto Police Department at (416) 808-2222. The case is number 15-1345161.
The Flooring Marketplace says the ring uses stolen credit cards to purchase wood flooring; operates in and around Toronto; and uses many company names to purchase the flooring, including Gerd Furniture, JAS Flooring and Harvey Contracting.
Four things are common among the purchasers: Price is never an issue; they need the shipment immediately; they use Toronto-area addresses and phone numbers; and they pay via credit card.
At least one Canadian seller has also fallen victim to flooring theft this summer. Robbers stole a 40-foot-long container of laminate flooring valued at more than $26,000 CAD ($20,090 USD) from Woodchuck Flooring (Scarborough, Ontario) in July.
