Leslie Nye had scoured online classified sites for a cheap, efficient, reliable mover and thought she’d hit the jackpot with one Toronto-based company.

Master Movers, she said, promised a seamless job done for just $500, a price that included insurance and a $180 flat fee to cover gas for the move from Toronto to London, Ont., where her husband, Steve Blakeney, lived.

Perfect, Ms. Nye thought.

The experience on moving day was anything but, she said. As soon as the movers arrived on Dec. 13, 2009, (half an hour late, she said), out popped all kinds of hidden costs – $30 for each time a mover carried an item down the stairs, she said. Then, she added, they charged extra for insurance and wouldn’t reconnect the couple with the person who had given them the original quote.

“At that point my husband turned to me and said ‘I think we’re going to be screwed.’ ”

When all of their items had been locked in the truck, she said the movers demanded about $1,460.

The company is among 11 named in a massive Toronto Police crackdown on moving companies in the Greater Toronto Area.

Early Thursday morning, police executed raids on homes and businesses they had targeted in a lengthy investigation into schemes in which movers allegedly defrauded clients and often held their belongings hostage.

They arrested eight men and one woman who face a total of 160 charges, many of them related to fraud.

During the raids, police seized 13 moving trucks, $20,000 in cash and two vehicles, including a 2004 Audi and 2001 Mercedes Benz.

Police are still hoping to arrest one man who had been in contact with authorities but refused to turn himself in, said Constable Tony Vella.

Companies allegedly involved are Indo-Pak Movers, Desi Movers, Supreme Movers, Comfortable Movers, Dynamic Movers, Elizabeth Movers, Pacific Van Line Moving Inc., Master Movers, A1 Express Movers and Xpress Movers, police say.

Calls and e-mails to Master Movers were not returned Thursday night.

In March, Toronto Police warned consumers to watch for companies that first quote a very low price, then have the client sign a contract on the day of the move.

If the client refuses to pay more, police said movers threaten to hold their belongings in storage or dump them in the street.

Ms. Nye said she was able to haggle the moving company down to about $1,300. After agreeing on that amount, she said the movers followed the couple in their truck as they got the money from the bank. Then the couple followed the moving truck to their home in London – just to make sure it arrived.

“The conversation between my husband and I on our way to London was ‘What can we do? They’ve got our stuff, they’ve got our money. We’re screwed,’ ” she said.

They reported it to police only on Thursday when they learned about the investigation, she said.

Many people don’t report being defrauded, said Constable Vella, because they’re embarrassed to not have heeded any red flags.

Ms. Nye said the whole experience made her feel “very stupid and naive.”

Charged are Syed Altaf Hussain, 57, Arif Adnan Syed, 27, Syed Amit Monwar Hussain, 29, Clyde Alen Muffty, 34, Scott Paul Slater, 31, Vanessa Longhurst, 38, Joseph Lima, 22, and Syed Tamim Rejw Hussain, 25, all residents of the Toronto area. Jimmy Roland Veilleux, 35, of Toronto, is wanted on fraud charges.

Police believe there may be more victims.