5 Moving Scams Smart People Fall For

Every year, thousands of people—rich and poor, smart and stupid—become victims of moving fraud. 

The “Protect Your Move” campaign initiated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration brought this to light. This goes without saying that the process of hiring movers can be quite stressful sometimes, talk more of the move itself. 

But hold on, fear is not the way to go about this. You only need to be aware of it. These are some of the most popular but sly moving scams and how to avoid them. 

#1. Scam 1: The Hostage

Here, the mover will load your items into their truck, giving you the impression that they are headed to your desired destination.

Then they’ll drive to an unload location, and demand money from you on the spot before unlocking the truck or offloading your items.

This scam, in particular, is really common and occurs from coast to coast.

Statistics from the Protect Your Move campaign has shown that of the 36 million people who move yearly, one in ten reports that they were held hostage by the moving company.

So how do you avoid this scam? Here’s what you can do to avoid falling prey to this scam:

• Get all fees upfront and in writing.
• Come along with your car. That way, you’re also in the driver’s seat. 

#2. Scam 2: The Shifty Scale

A large part of interstate moving companies charges by weight. Here you’re presented with an incredulously low upfront price based on weight.

The scam then happens after the movers have loaded and scaled the truck themselves.

They report a much heavier weight that was initially said and demand that the price difference be paid immediately.

Another way they try to trick you is by showing up with a weight ticket of the empty truck. Meaning there’s hardly any gas in the tank, with only one driver inside.

After loading the truck, the movers weigh the truck again, this time with a full gas tank and the whole crew in the truck. 

If you don’t watch carefully enough, additional items from other jobs and random picking materials may be added to the truck.

If all these go unnoticed, you’ll be tricked into paying a much higher weight than the actual weight.

How do you avoid this? Well, for starters, you can avoid getting a weight-based quote.

#3. Scam 3: The Broken Broker

Like some African princes who keep asking and emailing you for money, there are a lot of fake moving companies out there.

In this category, the scammers, also known as brokers, quote and book cheap moves online or over the phone. After which they charge a deposit upfront.

The brokers/scammers then sell their clients to other moving companies.

The scam is discovered when the new company, let’s call it “ABC” shows up, oblivious of the initial deal, or upfront payment.

So ABC is left with no other choice than to demand more money. When the client calls to complain, the broker is either out of reach or offers no help whatsoever.  

To avoid this nightmare, you should watch out for the following:

• Always go for registered users, and view their complaint history before concluding on going with any.
• Be sure to book with a moving company that has insurance. If they don’t offer insurance, there’s a possibility that they’re not licensed too.   

#4. Scam 4: The Lowball

Some shady companies intentionally lowball the inventory only to pile on extra charges on a moving day eventually.

More often than not, customers fall for it thinking it’s a better bargain, without consideration of the consequence on the move date.

And then, voila! You are presented with charges you never knew existed on moving day.

Some of the charges might include the protection of various items such as TV boxes, wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes, picture protection, and mirror.

Fuel charges and tolls and are definitely another wallet wallop. Here are some ways to avoid this:

• A safe way out should be to find out what exactly is included, and more importantly, what is not included in the move.  
• Trust your instincts to guide you. Always look out for evasive behaviors. For instance, when someone says, ‘Don’t worry, everything is included,’ you should have all the more reason to be worried. The goal is to always get written confirmation, not verbal affirmation. 

#5. Scam 5: Insurance Fraud

A number of illegal movers may trick you into using their services by offering you a blanket insurance policy.

You should know that even the most reputable moving companies only offer minimal coverage. A more likely means is for insurance to be purchased from a third party.

Any moving company offering a complete coverage should immediately signal the red flag. 

If anything happens to the truck during motion or if any of your goods get damaged, the fact is that you’re unlikely to receive any compensation for your belongings.

You can avoid falling into this scam by:

• Making sure that everything is documented
• Keeping personal copies of the documented paperwork

Ways To Determine A False Moving Company 

Although it can be very easy to get taken advantage of by these moving scams, there are still a number of ways to determine if a moving company is legit.

Below are some of the ways you can tell a fake moving company from a legit one:

• The company refuses to provide you with information about its address or insurance.
• When you are persuaded beyond normal to use the moving company’s services with outrageous promises of full insurance coverage
•  When the movers arrive in an unmarked truck or a rental truck rather than a truck with a company logo
•  When you do not get a copy of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Rights and Responsibilities from the moving company

Conclusion 

You can avoid these scams by being extremely cautious. Even if a moving company operates legally, there’s still the possibility that you might fall victim to scams.

Keep these moving scams in mind and the ways to prevent them before undertaking your next move. Take necessary steps to avoid rogue movers, and only use moving companies that have a proven track record.