How to Avoid Fraud When Moving Houses

Anyone can be scammed nowadays. That’s why you need to be very careful, especially if you’re doing transactions. There have been cases of various moving scams reported in all states including Louisiana for the past few years. In fact, the moving scam has been going on for the last 10 to 15 years. But you can prevent yourself from being a victim of these moving fraud if you follow these tips.

1. Ask Your Family and Friends for Any Recommendations

You may want to talk to some of your friends or even family members if they know any moving company that they can recommend. The thing about checking a mover online is that they can easily take down their ads, fake online testimonials and even internet credentials just to get customers. Getting recommendations from someone that you know is a much better way to get moving companies with good reputation.

2. Check Your Movers

It’s important that you investigate the movers that are on the part of your list. There are different ways on how to investigate movers. You may try to visit government sites like ProtectYourMove.gov and FMCSA.gov which is the official site of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration or FMSCA. There are also other websites that you can visit like MovingScam.com. This site actually has a list of over 376 movers that has a history of scam.

3. Make Sure the Movers Visit Your Home

Ask your movers to visit your home a day before you move. Moving can be complicated so make sure that the moving company can send one of their representatives to your home to look around and ask you about the things that you might need. You should also ask them about any packing tips to make it much easier.

4. Get at least Three Estimates

Try to get at least three estimates from different movers, in writing. This is very much advisable for people who will be moving from one state to another. Try to compare each estimate and see who has the lowest bid. It may not be a scam, but you should try to check and ask yourself why it’s that low.

5. Don’t Pay the Costs Upfront

Some moving companies from cities like Monroe may ask you to make a down payment of at least 25 percent of the total cost. But some reputable companies wouldn’t even require you to pay anything, even if it’s for a state-to-state relocation.

You won’t be able to stop scams from happening. But you can, at least, protect yourself from becoming a victim. Try to be cautious about any great offers that are just too good to be true, because some of them are.