Avoid Moving Fraud By Finding a Reputable Mover

Back to Before My Move

Also see:
– Evaluating a Mover
– What You Need to Know About Requesting a Moving Estimate

Remember that you will provide your moving company with most of your personal possessions. Be sure to find someone you trust! Keep the following in mind when you begin to research which moving company you’re going to use:

Ask for Trusted Referrals

One of the best ways to find a good moving company is to ask your friends, relatives and business associates about moving companies that they have used.

Gather Multiple Quotes

Try to find at least three moving companies that you trust that will provide on-site or virtual surveys.

Look for a Physical Location

Just because a company has an attractive website doesn’t necessarily mean the company is reputable. Nearly all victims of rogue or fraudulent movers found their moving companies on the internet. Many of those companies have websites but no assets like a  brick-and-mortar location, trucks or trailers.

Ask if the Moving Company Offers Virtual or On-Site Estimates

Consider companies who offer to come to your home for an on-site estimate or provide a virtual survey to “see” all that you will be moving. 

Understand How Moving Company Brokers Operate

Brokers do not provide actual moving services. They are third-party companies that negotiate moving services between the customer and the moving company. If you choose a broker, then you will not know which moving company will handle your possessions.

A broker is required to put their broker status on their website; they may bury this disclaimer at the very bottom of their website in the footer. Be sure to ask your carrier if they are a broker and go through the website to try and find the broker disclaimer. 

Be Cautious of Extremely Low Prices

Try not to be swayed by extremely low estimates from unknown companies that you did not personally reach out to yourself. Fraudulent entities often offer unreasonably low estimates to entice customers and then hold their goods hostage while demanding more money. The old saying of “if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is” certainly holds true when it comes to finding a moving company. Moving household goods across state lines is expensive, but having peace of mind as the truck departs for your new home is worth the expense.

Use the American Moving and Storage Association Website:

– For a list of reputable movers click here. This list showcases all of the movers who have reached “ProMover” status with the American Moving and Storage Association (“AMSA”). Here, you can look up any ProMover by company name. Although your local moving company may not appear on this list as a ProMover, if they are an agent for a larger van line and perform interstate moves under that van line’s interstate operating authority, they are an AMSA ProMover. Contact any of the moving companies listed to see if they have an agent in your area.

– If you do not see a moving company listed, please contact AMSA’s Membership Department at Membership_Web@Moving.org to verify their membership status.

Regardless of how you find a carrier, be sure to evaluate the company to make sure you are dealing with a legitimate carrier. MoveRescue suggests that you find at least three possible companies to evaluate, and depending on the results of the evaluation, request an on-site or visual survey moving estimate from each one. The majority of legitimate carriers will provide this on-site estimate or virtual survey for free — so request this from each potential provider.