Moving fraud is often referred to as a moving scam. You might have heard horror stories of moving companies that turn out as a scam. It is easy to gall for a moving scam because scammers pretend to be legitimate and sound friendly. But when it comes to hiring movers, you need to be very careful with every step you take. If you don’t care then you have to regret your decision later when movers run away after taking your money which you paid upfront. They might ask for additional charges in return for your home belongings and could ruin your entire moving experience. But luckily certain tips can help you to identify a moving fraud so you can hire genuine movers to present out there.

Unclear/blank or no contract at all 

If you are looking for legitimate moving labor companies then you will have to sign a legal contract with them at the start of the process. The contract that you sign before the moving process should include all the details of moving such as the estimated cost, offered services, schedule, insurance details, and so on. The contract clears that there are no other hidden charges that you need to pay later. If a company does not ask to sign a contract or there is a blank or unclear contract then you should not hire such a moving company.

When it is hard to find company information 

Usually, these days all the movers have an online website including reputable movers. all the reputable companies provide all the details about their organizations online including the physical address. If you can’t find information like the company‘s physical address, license information, proof of insurance and so on then it means it is not a legitimate company

The higher upfront deposit 

If the hired moving company is asking for a higher upfront deposit then again it is a red sign that this is not an ideal company for you. All the reputable movers present out there ask for a nominal cost only which is either equal to 20% of the total amount or even less than that. You should never pay a higher amount upfront if you don’t want to lose your money.

Phone etiquettes 

When you call a company then their behavior and response tell about the professionalism of a company. Like if you are calling movers then they should respond with the full name like XYZ company, rather than just saying “moving company” or “movers”. Also, their way of communication tells you a lot about them and the quality of services they can provide.  Also, how fast they respond to your questions and emails helps you determining their professionalism towards their work. Find if their answers are satisfactory or not.

Company with multiple names 

Often when people have horrid experiences with certain moving companies because they are scammed by companies and then they report about it to the authority. This affects the reputation of the moving company. Then certain sneaky moving companies keep on changing their name because they get poor ratings and to get rid of the reviews given by the people. They can keep on changing their name only when they are not properly licensed and insured to do the business. So, you should have to keep yourself protected from such organizations.

Offering a quote which does not seem feasible

If you find something too good to be true then there might be something wrong with it. There will not be any Nigerian prince calling you or mailing you to give you his fortune, remember it always. This is called a bait and switch scam. Always deal with a company that offer quotes which are feasible. You can use moving cost calculator to know the estimated cost of the relocation.

With tons of bad customer reviews 

Let us know something straight. Some are always better than others but it does not mean that a good company will not have any negative reviews. It is fine to have two to three negative reviews because satisfying all the clients in today’s world is almost impossible. You should not leave a company just based on one to two negative reviews. When looking for the reviews, make sure you check for the legitimate ones. To know whether the review is legit or not you should check information like the moving date and the problem they have with company. You should also check the reply from the company. If you find the company’s response good then this could be a good organization to deal with while on the other hand, if you see same positive review from many users then it could also be fake.

Conclusion 

Scammers also seem legitimate companies at first but luckily some red flags help you to identify whether the movers are the right choice for you or not. The above-listed things will help you to identify moving fraud with ease.