The Ask Anthony team has received emails from viewers who say they've had U-Hauls, full of their belongings, stolen in the past two months from Jacksonville hotels.
"We get up the next day and open the curtains and there's no U-Haul," Lisa Alexander told Anthony Austin.
Lisa Alexander was in the process of moving from Jacksonville to St. Louis when she says her U-Haul was stolen from the Holiday Inn parking lot on Salisbury Road on the south side of town.
"It was backed up next to a curb. So, they had to back up over the curb, probably 20 times, to be able to get it around my car and out of the parking lot," Alexander explained.
It happened in the middle of the night on May 6. Alexander's son filed a police report with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. She says police found the U-Haul a couple days later, abandoned, on the side of the road near the airport.
"The only thing they found was some hangers, some pictures, and some papers and everything else was gone. It was fully loaded," Alexander added.
Two weeks ago, a member of the United States Coast Guard, who was moving to Tampa, had his U-Haul stolen from the Hyatt Place on Duval Road near the airport. His car was also attached to it. According to the police report, six of his guns were missing.
He sent the Ask Anthony team pictures of the U-Haul after police found it. There was a small hole in the door and it appears the thieves tampered with the ignition switch.
Angelina Salcedo, a reporter at First Coast News' sister station in Atlanta, had her U-Haul stolen from a hotel parking lot at the end of April. She had just moved from Tampa. According to police, it was the fifth stolen in Metro Atlanta that week.
She was able to track it down, because she had an AirTag inside the U-Haul. Police were able to find the U-Haul and make an arrest, but all of Salcedo's belongings were gone.
Anthony Austin contacted U-Haul about this issue and received a response that reads in part:
"We sympathize with any customer who is a victim of theft. When our customers are victimized by criminals, U-Haul is likewise victimized and shares in their frustration. We employ a robust investigations unit that works closely with law enforcement in the tracking down of these criminals to ensure their prosecution."
He asked if U-Haul had considered making changes to their moving trucks, such as adding GPS devices. A spokesperson said:
"For security and privacy reasons, we do not share information pertaining to equipment tracking features. The reason is simple: U-Haul has no desire to inform and embolden persons who intend to commit criminal acts and make them aware of methods and devices used to track equipment."
"I feel bad for the other people now that I know that there's a couple more and there's probably more that I don't even know about. Somebody goes through your stuff and decides what they think they can take, and then discards the rest like it's trash. It stings and that sting will never, ever go away," Alexander said.
We asked the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for information on reports of U-Hauls thefts in the past six months and if they think there is an organized group behind the thefts. We're still waiting on that information.
The best advice before you rent a U-Haul? Consider hiding an AirTag or some type of GPS in your belongings, so you know if your moving truck is on the move without you.