Moving Scam Red Flags

Before you book

• No USDOT number in the ad. Every interstate mover's ad — including its website and online listings — must show its FMCSA-registered name and "U.S. DOT No." with the number.
• A "mover" that won't say it's a broker. Broker ads must say the company is a broker and won't transport your goods. If the company can't name the carrier that will arrive, you don't know who you hired.
• A price with no survey. A written estimate has to follow a physical survey — in person or by video — unless you sign a written waiver. A quote from a phone call is not an estimate.
• A fee for a non-binding estimate. Non-binding estimates must be free.
• No booklets. With the estimate you must receive "Ready to Move?" and "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move", as copies or links.

The advertising rule reaches further than people expect. Under the federal definition, an advertisement includes a mover's website and its listings in online databases and directories, as well as print ads. A mover's website must also link to (or reproduce) the "Ready to Move?" booklet. If you found a mover online and can't find its USDOT number anywhere, that is the first question to ask.

On moving day

• A blank or incomplete contract. A mover may not make you sign a blank document; the only blanks allowed are the weight and charges not knowable until weighing.
• No inventory. The mover must list every carton and item, numbered, and give you a signed copy at or before loading.
• A new price after loading. Estimates can't be amended after loading; added services need a new written estimate you sign.
• A delivery receipt that "releases" the mover. It may say "received in apparent good condition except as noted", but not that you release the mover from liability.

At delivery

A demand for more than the estimate allows — more than the binding amount, or more than 110% of a non-binding estimate plus services you added and capped extras — before unloading is the classic hostage scam. So is switching the payment method to cash at the truck. See what to do if a mover holds your belongings hostage.

How to check a mover in ten minutes

• Look up its USDOT number: the record shows the registered name, whether it's active, and whether it's registered for interstate moves or as a broker.
• Match the name and number on the ad, the estimate, the bill of lading and the truck.
• For an in-state move, check the state license where your state has one.
• Ask for its complaint procedure; federal rules require a written summary with a phone number.

Unregistered household goods moving or brokering carries a federal civil penalty of at least $25,000 per violation — so a company that dodges the registration question is telling you something.

Test the complaint line before you need it

Every interstate mover must have a procedure for handling complaints and inquiries: a phone number that reaches its principal place of business, a system that records every complaint in writing, and a clear written description of the procedure given to you before you sign the bill of lading.

Call that number before you book. A company whose complaint line doesn't answer while it's still trying to win your business is unlikely to answer after it has your belongings. And if the move is inside one state, these federal rules don't apply — check your state's moving regulations instead.

Common questions