Staying Fit
Among all there is to do in ramping up for a relocation, no detail is more worth sweating than picking the right moving company. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) received more than 11,700 complaints in 2023 about movers. Consumers lost more than $188,700, they reported to the BBB Scam Tracker in 2023.
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Reeling customers in
Moving scams are committed by rogue operators that exist primarily online. They solicit business by offering lowball estimates, often without so much as laying an eye on what’s to be moved. They might demand a hefty deposit, or even full payment, in advance.
From there, the scam can go in several directions. With your deposit in hand, the “movers” might simply not show up at the appointed time and place. Or they’ll try to change the deal at the last minute, jacking up the price on a pretext (for example, your estimate didn’t include packing, or your load is overweight) or adding fees that can double the cost of your move.
Worst case, the movers might disappear with your stuff, abandon it in a storage facility or refuse to deliver unless you fork over yet more money, a scenario known as a “hostage load.” In 2023, a Brooklyn, New York, jury convicted two people of using bogus fees and holding customers’ belongings hostage. The defendants and others fraudulently obtained more than $3 million from at least 800 customers.
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