5 most common moving scams and how to spot them

Are you thinking about hiring movers to help you with your move? Well, not every company is doing their business the right way. That’s the reason why you should learn about the 5 most common moving scams and how to spot them. This way you can completely avoid them and make sure you have the real professionals by your side.

5 most common moving scams

Moving can be a stressful affair. So, in order to reduce the stress when moving, you should not allow yourself to get scammed. Unfortunately, there are many ways that fraudulent companies can cross not-expecting customers. However, these are the 5 most common moving scams that you should be aware of.

1. Large deposit

Deposits are not uncommon, especially during peak moving season. However, these deposits shouldn’t be large, as it’s a sign of a potential scam. Fraudulent movers might just take your money and disappear. Luckily, there’s a way to avoid it. You should do thorough research before you put down a deposit. Also, you can ask your real estate agent you can trust. Since they are experienced with this, they can recommend a good moving company.

2. Demanding more money

Of all of the 5 common moving scams, you have a really good chance of coming across this one. And the reason is that the company will be offering a low price, which will seem very tempting. However, if there is an unexpected increase in the price, then you are probably being scammed. As soon as the job is done, they will ask for more money for covering additional expenses or some hidden charges. The way to avoid this is by getting an estimate from professional movers. And that’s even if the quote seems bigger than some other suspiciously low quote.

3. Not returning your belongings

You want to start unpacking after your move, but your boxes haven’t arrived? Related to the scam above, movers might not want to return your belongings. They might not even specify the reason for the money you allegedly owe them. However, you can avoid this scam by making sure that the company you choose to go with, is not blacklisted. Look them up online and make sure you are dealing with reliable movers.

4. Operating under the radar

Is the company you are considering registered in the first place? If they aren’t they are basically operating illegally and that’s not a good thing. If they get shut down in the middle of your move, who can guarantee that you’ll get your belongings back? So to avoid this, ask for the company’s USDOT number and look them up on the FMCSA website. This might not be one of the 5 most common moving scams per se, as the company might not even try to scam you, but why risk it?

5. Offering complete coverage insurance

You should know that even the most famous moving companies usually offer only minimal coverage. So, if the company is offering the complete coverage, that’s the red flag right there. Even if they are offering the full coverage, they might give you compensation if something happens to your belongings. So, make sure to have everything documented. If they don’t want to agree to that, well, you might be dealing with scammers.

Do your research

Do your research and make sure you know more than 5 common moving mistakes, before choosing your movers. Isn’t it better to do some research now, rather than to regret down the road?