Moving Scams to Escape This Year

Although people move during all times of the year, spring and early summer are at the peak of moving traffic. More volume brings out the con artists, trying to move undetected in the mobs of people who are attempting to relocate. So this is also the season to protect yourself from the typical scams out there.

Most Common Moving Scam
The most common moving scam might not even be an actual scam, so much as poor administration. Time and again, people reserve trucks, trailers, and vans, way in advance, and the day they are scheduled to pick it up, nothing is there.

In most cases, this is the fault of another renter who didn't bring back their truck as scheduled, which means no truck for you. Understanding though you might be, understanding how this happens doesn't help you to get moving. Some truck rental companies will offer guarantees and others won't even offer a condolence, but get the tightest commitment that you can finagle, and then just realize that sometimes trucks don't show up.

The Moving Scam to Look out for
This moving scam has been around since there have been things to move. This used to happen frequently on small ranches where cattle trailers would arrive to haul cattle to be sold or slaughtered. Once the cattle, sheep, or horses were loaded, the awful news would get delivered: The price has just gone up if you want to see this stock again.

In modern times, the same con is pulled on unsuspecting homeowners who find a great deal to move their belongings, only to find that once everything is loaded onto the truck, there is a new situation. The movers have a new price, and it's not lower. More than that, they threaten to sell off your stuff if you don't pay it all up front.

Tim Walker, founder of www.movingscam.com, has written about this particular scam extensively, and has dedicated an entire site just to helping people out of this jam. There is even a blacklist of movers who have been known not to be reputable businesses, which is where you should check any mover you plan to work with.

The Brass Tacks
Scams are out there and the truly sad thing is that unscrupulous contractors often ruin the reputations of everyone in their industry. But this is not necessarily the case. There are far more businesses on the level than businesses out to swindle. However, you need to do your homework and make sure you have checked into who you are hiring. Better safe than sorry, and before you let anyone handle all of your possessions, you need to be comfortable that they have your interests at heart.