Moving Scams

Moving scams have several variations, but the most common start with a prospective customer calling a “licensed” moving company and asking for an estimate for their move (Better Business Bureau). This interaction often occurs online or over the phone. To avoid unethical movers, watch for any the following patterns.

5 Most Common Scams and How to Avoid Them

#1 Bait & Switch Pricing

The first sign that something may be off with the company you’ve contacted is an unusually low quote, often site unseen. When a reputable moving company bids on a move—by offering either a non-binding or binding estimate—they will send a representative to visit for an in-home estimate. This visit offers the company a visual assessment of the workload and allows for an accurate price quote.

A scammer will provide an advanced quote, site unseen, and purposefully wait until the items are packed and in transport before alerting the customer of “extra fees.” Scam movers use misleading weight or space numbers, which aren’t based on actual weight or cubic footage figures and often includes rates based on the moving vehicle’s gross weight.

The customer is told that their items have surpassed the estimated weight or cubic footage and that the “excess load” will be an additional fee. The new price is typically four or five time higher than the original estimate. The scammers know customers need their furnishings and personal effects, so most people are strong-armed into paying unfair, exorbitant prices.

How to Protect Yourself

1. Search the FMCSA database to ensure the company exists, they have a good safety record, and don’t have any existing complaints.

2. Search popular review websites, such as Google My Business, Yelp, and Facebook. If they have multiple bad reviews and no good ones to speak of, try a different company. Similarly, if there are no reviews for them online, they may be a fly-by-night operation you want to avoid.

#2 Upfront Pricing

The company demands a large upfront deposit. Trustworthy movers won’t ask for cash or a big deposit until your items safely arrive at their final destination. Most reputable movers require a small deposit upfront and then collect the remainder upon delivery. If you pay upfront, you lose any leverage you may have had when it comes to negotiating with a fraudster. 

How to Protect Yourself

1. We recommend using a credit card when you pay as the the card issuer helps protect you from fraudulent behavior or charges.

2. Don’t pay for anything before a thorough, in-home, walk-through and visual inspection of all the items being moved.

#3 Cubic-Foot Pricing

Scammers will try to charge you based on the amount of "space" your items take up. Reputable moving companies, especially those that perform interstate moves, charge by the weight and not by the amount of cubic feet your belongings occupy. An experienced packer can fill the truck with more items than a novice one, (or someone trying to charge more based on the amount of “space” used).

How to Protect Yourself

1. Ask the moving company how they charge and specifically for what services they will be charging you. Ask about any hidden fees. Avoid those that charge by cubic feet.

#4 Guaranteed Pricing

Legally speaking, moving companies have two ways they can bill customers: 1. With a non-binding estimate, of which the final price may not exceed 10% and 2. a binding contract – a fixed, guaranteed price for the customer.

Non-binding estimates are the most popular. It’s not uncommon for the customer to add-on services, such as extra packing, assembly or disassembly of furniture, and last minute items to be moved. Binding estimates are given when the moving company knows precisely what’s being moved and the resources it takes to move it – staffing, truck size, and any necessary specialized equipment. 

It’s a red flag when a company offers a binding agreement site unseen or very loosely assesses the load.

How to Protect Yourself

1. If the pricing seems too good to be true, it probably is. You may be dealing with a shady company that is merely waiting to get your goods onto their truck to hold ransom until the “surprise” fees are paid.

2. Ask for a sample contract before actually booking with the company. If everything seems on the up-and-up, make sure the actual agreement reflects that of the sample contract.

#5 The Moving Broker

While not necessarily a scam, moving scammers will utilize unethical brokers to secure customers (aka victims). These brokers will often represent themselves as the moving company itself on platforms like Craigslist to attract unsuspecting victims. They then charge an upfront fee and sell the customer’s information to a local moving company (who will attempt to scam more money from you).

How to Protect Yourself

1. A broker will often ask for an upfront fee and provide a quote on an unseen load. As we’ve learned, this alone is a red flag. However, to determine whether you’re working with a broker versus the moving company directly, read your contract very carefully. Watch for language that states that they “do not handle or otherwise participate in a move as a carrier.”

2. Check the contract for “first available date with a 21-day window to deliver” verbiage. This is usually an overlooked section of the scammer’s contract; it almost always leads to late pickups, deliveries, and, for many victims, sleepless nights.

Conclusion

Do your due diligence when hiring a moving company. That means utilizing the tools available to you – government agencies, customer reviews, and have a buyer beware mentality.  Start by asking friends for a recommendation. Move on to doing your own research and trust your gut – if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.

Federal consumer protection legislation relating to the interstate shipping of household products are applied by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) (i.e., household moves that cross state lines) and designed to better protect consumers hiring movers.

FMCSA offers an online National Consumer Complaint Database for victims to make a formal complaint and wary consumers to avoid hiring the wrong movers. Check with your state’s corporation commission to ensure the company is registered.