It's Moving Scam Season Again

Internet research will prevent an encounter with moving scam, and will direct you to a professional moving company with skilled movers, truck service

2007-08-03 19:39:29 - Is your mover scam free? A quick check of the internet may save you thousands! Every year people are duped, extorted, and over charged by movers. The best way to weed out the bad apples is to do a little research and then develop a plan.

SEATTLE - Picture everything you own packed in a moving van, and then held hostage. The only way to get it back is to pay hundreds, or even thousands of dollars.

Federal investigators say illegal movers are targeting consumers across the country, including here in the Puget Sound area.

Pat Caporuscio of Moving Labor Pro, who has 25 years in the industry, says that most movers offer a great deal and are very professional over the phone. The trouble starts when the movers show up at your door.

"All they wanted was the money and what they could steal," says an angry Karl Johnson from his home in Florida.

Reports show Johnson hired a moving company in Orlando that he says more than doubled his bill before they would unload his belongings, which were badly damaged or missing.

"We paid them. They have our money. They have our things," said Sloan. She says she and her family spent 6 weeks without their furniture, then when the movers arrived, they demanded more money.

"I just wanted to move from San Diego back to Seattle," said Laurie Luka, who hired a moving company a national moving company. The movers showed up at her San Diego home in a Ryder rental truck. Once they loaded her furniture, the original quote of $1,500 jumped to $3,800.

"This is a perfect scam. It's a perfect scam because they know you're in trouble. They know you need to move," she said.

Seattle Chiropractor Dr. Robyn DeSautel says, "They use a different phone number. They'll change their P.O. box."

DeSautel had the same experience with another moving company. The original quote was $1,450. She says sent them $300 to lock down the quote.

"They had to have cash," said DeSautel. "Money order or cashier's check." She says the movers showed up in a rental truck and demanded another $4,192. She talked them down to $3,000, bringing the total cost of her move to $3,400 - all in cash.

But that's not all: "50% of it was all wet and damaged and there's at least $3,000 worth of stuff that didn't show up at all," says DeSautel.

How It Works

Here's how it works: The movers advertise over the Internet and in the yellow pages. They give a low bid to get your business, then show up in an unmarked truck or even a rental truck. Their objective is to get your property, then jack up the bid.

There are victims in virtually every state. Federal investigators say the major hot spots of operation appear to be California, New York and Florida.

A major FBI operation in Florida in the spring of 2005 shut down 16 illegal moving companies and arrested 74 owners and employees, including the companies who moved Robyn and Laurie to Seattle.

But investigators warn others are out there, and if you get taken, you have no protection.

"I tried to call the Attorney General," Luka says. "I tried calling the Department of Transportation."
Dr. DeSautel says, "The police said basically there's nothing they can do. It's out of their jurisdiction."
The laws don't protect you because state regulators can only go after companies that move you within the state.

"We don't have any jurisdiction on interstate moves," said Mark Halliday of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. "Basically, that's under the federal authority."

The feds don't have enough inspectors to enforce the law. There are only three for the entire country. So buyer beware.

Pat Caporsucio went on to warn future movers, 'It is important to make sure your mover is licensed, insured, and it's employee's are background checked along with a criminal history report.- He went on to give the consumer these tips.

Tips To Avoid Pratfalls

Meanwhile, buyer beware before you hire any mover:

Verify their registration, check their background, and never release your property without an in-person estimate in writing. Verbal estimates are not binding.

Avoid hiring a mover solely based on the cheapest bid. A low bid is no way to determine quality or reliability.

Avoid any mover who refuses to come out and physically look at your belongings to get a good idea of what you have.

Try to deal with a company with a physical location in your community and check their registration with the Utilities and Transportation Commission.

Look for red flags such as unmarked trucks or standard rental trucks, unprofessional attire, documents with unprofessional looking logos or no company logo at all and companies that use a different name than the company you originally contacted.

The illegal moving companies have a number of things in common including low initial quotes, moving crews who often use rental trucks, the use of a number of different company names, and inexperienced workers from Russia or Israel who speak little English. Also, look out for owners that have own many companies that do the same service!