The right move: How to avoid moving scams
The
pandemic has witnessed a surge in the number of Americans moving across town or cross country. Many of those moving are older people. Not surprisingly, there’s evidence moving scams are increasing in number right along with that spike in moves. For many reasons, older adults should be especially mindful of this troubling trend.
“Scammers follow the headlines,” says Amy Nofziger, director of victim support with Washington, District of Columbiabased AARP Fraud Watch Network. “People are moving, either because COVID taught us it’s hard to live 1,000 miles away from loved ones, or they’re helping raise grandchildren. There’s more opportunity for criminals.”
Fraudsters perpetrate moving scams in several ways. One of the most common is a bait-and-switch scheme. Once the mover has your items on the truck, he claims the price initially quoted needs to be revised upward. Your possessions are held hostage until you pay the inflated rate. Nofziger reports that according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, hostage load complaints totaled 899 in all of 2020. Through July 25, this year’s stood at 932.
While scammers will steal from anyone, they may find older adults particularly tempting targets, Nofziger says. When older adults downsize, often due to the loss of a spouse, they typically move many items — and more valuable items — than younger people move. “So often it’s a crime of opportunity,” she reports.
“Once the criminals see the older people are vulnerable, and may be under pressure to move, that’s when they amp up their game to take advantage of them.”
Typical scenarios
In addition to the hostage load scenario, scam movers use other ways to defraud consumers. So says Steve J. Bernas, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois. The national BBB released a study last year indicating it receives an average 13,000 complaints and negative reviews about movers yearly, many resulting in emotional or financial nightmares for victims.
One such trick occurs when the mover sells you on a low price, then changes the arranged deal at the last moment. The cost of your move doubles or triples.
Another involves the mover reporting your belongings are on the back of a truck behind the possessions of two other households. You will not get your furniture and other goods until the other households’ belongings are delivered to them.
Or you may be asked to pay after the movers load their trucks with your belongings. Once they have your money, the movers abandon your shipment on the truck, or deposit the goods inside a private storage facility and hightail it out of town.
Movers may purposely overcharge for things like boxes, tape and packing wrap, reports Eli Waldman, director of recovery services for MyChargeBack, a New York City, New York-based international financial services firm that resolves complex disputes.
Some pay their customers small “security deposits” to cover the cost of items they might inadvertently break. “Then they use that as a pretense to steal the whole lot,” Waldman says. “When the victim calls the police, the scammers inevitably claim the security deposit was actually the purchase price for the victim’s belongings.”
Protective moves
One of the biggest mistakes committed when planning a move is making snap decisions about movers, says Bailey Carson, home expert at Denver, Colorado-based Angi, formerly Angie’s List. “Patience is key, both in making the decision to move and in identifying the right movers to help,” she says. “That’s why taking time to do your due diligence and find a reputable mover can make all the difference.”
Carson recommends obtaining at least three bids from local movers before hiring, asking for references and researching whether or not a mover is verified by the American Moving & Storage Solutions certification program, ProMover. “The seven-point screening program helps to verify a company’s ownership, licensing, insurance and safety records,” she says. “It also checks for any felony convictions among key personnel, and requires the certified ProMover to sign a code of conduct.”