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The Vancouver Police Department is investigating Blue Moon Coins following a spate of customers filed reports alleging they never received the high-priced coins they'd bought from the local company or received refunds.

(BlueMoonCoins.com)

Consumers complaining about losing hundreds of thousands of dollars have triggered a police investigation into Blue Moon Coins, a coin dealer that once operated a storefront in Vancouver, Wash.

Detectives began investigating the 13-year-old business after receiving multiple reports from customers alleging that they ordered and paid for expensive coins that they never received, said Kim Kapp, the Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman.

Kapp said customers who’ve complained to Vancouver Police report $200,000 in alleged losses, mostly from online transactions.

Have a complaint?

Contact the

at 360-487-7399.

owner Aaron Scott provided his email address for customers who have questions: aaron@bluemooncoins.com.

Blue Moon Coins released a statement via e-mail on Thursday afternoon, signed off by owner Aaron Scott:

The statement also said Blue Moon Coins is currently an Internet-only business with a mailing address in North Portland. However, as of Thursday, the business was not licensed with the Oregon Secretary of State's Office.

Blue Moon Coins

in 2004, and Scott is listed as president and director. According the state, Scott’s company also operates under the names BlueMoonCoins.com, BMC, Internet Auctions and Kenny’s Country Coins, which were registered between 2004 and 2010.

its attention to customers.

The page also notes that Scott became a partner in 2009 and provided some history:

Growing up in his dad's coin business, Aaron bought his first coin at the age of six. By 13, he was spending his summers learning the ropes from his dad instead of spending his summers playing like the other kids. 2008 saw the culmination of an eight-year run where Aaron brokered over 100 million in product ..."

A Jan. 12 tweet on Blue Moon's Twitter account noted that the company's ownership had just changed.

The Washington Attorney General's Office has received 17 complaints about the business, the most recent one filed Thursday. The first complaint came in October 2013, and the majority of those complaints were forwarded to the state's Department of Financial Services.

The local Better Business Bureau also has received 25 complaints in the past three years, including one from a customer who said he paid $168,000 last September for an order he never received. That customer said he hadn't been able to reach the company or receive a refund, according to the BBB.

The BBB gave the company an “F,” in part because it failed to respond to six complaints. The BBB pulled Blue Moon’s accreditation in December.

In addition to promising that the company will provide refunds or merchandise, Scott's statement Thursday went on to say that he has "no ownership interest" in Affordable Precious Metals.

That business is registered at 701 Main Street, Vancouver -- the same address where Blue Moon once rented a storefront. That address remains linked to Blue Moon in multiple state filings. Scott is listed as "manager" on Affordable Precious Metals' business license filed with the state.

-- Laura Gunderson