How to recognize fraudulent movers?

When you’re relocating you want the best moving company at the most affordable price. However, looking for a moving company can be dangerous at times. That’s because there are a lot of scammers that want your hard-earned money. That’s why any full service moving company Las Vegas will be transparent with you. Here’s some advice on how to recognize fraudulent movers and avoid them completely.  

Fraudulent movers will ask for a large deposit

When you’re faced with a large cash deposit you should always be thinking twice whatever the industry. And especially if it’s a moving company that asks for it. Why is this such a big problem to pay them? In general, scamming movers will get your deposit and after that disappear, or bad movers will hold your deposit hostage in order to get you to accept changes to the contract and your agreement with them. Thankfully, most legitimate movers will not charge you upfront or will ask for a very small deposit that seems reasonable. Our movers Henderson NV won’t have to ask you for a deposit, and if there’s a big sum the movers ask you, this could be a way to recognize fraudulent movers.

A piggy bank
You can recognize fraudulent movers if they ask for a huge deposit

Recognize fraudulent movers by the way they do estimates

One of the first things you should do if you think moving is to get as many estimates from different moving companies as you can. The estimates and quotes you get from companies are free of charge, or at least a huge majority of them are. That free estimate is very rough and it can vary a little from the original price, however, you should always have it in writing as proof. That’s because if there’s a huge price change you always have the original estimate to counter that price change. Another detail is estimates done over the phone. Real movers will visit your house and do an in-house estimate for your home.

The price seems to be too low

If the price is too good to be true, you might have fraudulent movers on the other side of the screen. It’s ok to have lower and affordable prices, however, if a price is so much cheaper than the rest that all others are the double price of it, that might be a red flag. You can’t have long-distance movers that come at a price that is low even for just packing services. Always ask yourself if a move is profitable for a mover. If it’s not it’s a sign of scammers as nobody creates a company just to give away money.

A man counting money
A very low price? That might not be a great thing after all

You can recognize fraudulent movers by a lack of third party reviews

You can recognize fraudulent movers by the lack of reviews. There are a lot of websites that are dedicated just to that. As crazy as it might seem but that’s a way companies are trying to win over clients. If a company doesn’t have a rating with the Better Business Bureau or the FMCSA you should look more into it before hiring them. There’s nothing wrong with having a couple of bad reviews here and there. However, having zero reviews by third-party websites and claiming to have years of experience can seem strange. Look out you never know when you’re dealing with fraudulent movers.

Dishonest movers will avoid showing you their credentials

If you hire professional and reputable movers they will show you all the papers, licenses, and insurance you need before asking them. However, if you’re talking to a scamming company they will try to avoid questions regarding their documents. There isn’t a moving company that, be it local moving or long-distance moving, won’t have every piece of paper it needs to operate within a state. If they can’t offer you at least their registration with the FMCSA, maybe that can be a good sign to cut them off.

A shady contract may help you recognize fraudulent movers

For every move, you need to have a contract. With quality movers, it will be easy to negotiate and they will gladly help you understand every part of the contract. However, fraudulent movers will try to take advantage of you. That’s why you need to read the contract a couple of times before signing it. There shouldn’t be anything confusing about it and no hidden parts. If the moving company isn’t helpful in explaining the contract, you should avoid them. The contract is only a means to put on paper what’s agreed upon. It should never have something else from what’s already agreed upon.

A man signing a contract
Always check your contract before signing it

You can visit a real moving company at its address

When you choose a moving company, make sure it has a real address. There are many scammers that will try to hide the fact that they have entered a fictive address on their website. For that reason, the best way to make sure is to visit it. Obviously, if it’s near enough. A reputable moving company will always want you to come to their offices. That way they can show you their fleet of moving trucks and much more. Looking up an address on the internet will take you a minute and will greatly help you avoid fraudulent movers.

In order to recognize fraudulent movers you always need to keep an eye out for them. There’s nothing worse than losing your money to scammers. Always remember that a real moving company has nothing to hide, and even more, it will try to encourage you to choose them by giving you all the necessary information. We hope our advice helps you when it’s time to choose the right moving company for you.

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