Expert advice to avoid scams during your move

(InvestigateTV) — HireAHelper reported that moving customers lost around $836 on average to moving scams last year, a 30% increase from 2022.

HireAHelper is a website where consumers can compare small local moving companies from across the country to help them with a hybrid move.

A hybrid move is where consumers provide a truck, such as a U-Haul, and hire people to load and unload the moving truck.

Miranda Marquit is a consumer advocate with HireAHelper. She said there are three big moving scams of which consumers should be aware:

Change of address scam – Fraudsters pretend to be from the postal service and they charge people $100 dollars or more for a change of address, which can be done at the post office for free.

No shows – A moving company requires payment up front, then never shows up to do the move.

Unlicensed businesses – Cons pose as moving companies and outright steal all the contents of a move. They load it up, take it away, and the customer never sees it again. A variation is that the fraudulent company takes the contents and essentially hold it hostage until new, extra fees are paid.

To avoid being scammed, Marquit suggested consumers verify moving businesses before hiring. Use Google and look closely at the reviews.

“Never pay the entire amount up front,” Marquit urged. “Most reputable places, they might require a deposit and when you do pay that deposit, make sure you use a credit card, because you can file a dispute with your credit card company if fraud comes through and then you can get that money back.”

She said get an estimate ahead of time and compare that to the final bill.

Also make sure the company actually comes in person to look at property being moved instead of just filling out a form online. The estimate will be much more accurate.

ProtectYourMove.gov has free resources for planning moves and avoiding scams.

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