How to Protect Yourself from Moving Scams and Frauds

Every year in the US, particularly between the months of May and September, thousands of families find all of their household goods held hostage by rogue moving companies who give one estimate before the move and then after the truck is loaded, they insist that the move was much more difficult than expected and therefore you need to pay hundreds, or perhaps, thousands more than the original estimate. And if you don't pay, you won't get your stuff back.

What makes this even worse is that you have very little legal recourse if you've become the victim of a moving scam. Since the Federal government deregulated the interstate moving industry in 1995, complaints about moving companies have more than tripled in the interim. There were over 9,000 complaints about moving companies filed last year, and those are just the ones that were actually reported.

Once a complaint is filed, it can take the regulatory body, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) years to conduct an investigation (if they even bother) and the only outcome available is a potential fine to the moving company that has held your entire life hostage. Essentially, moving has become a form of legalized theft as organized crime has stepped in to take advantage of an almost entirely unregulated marketplace.

The worst thing about all of this is that you can't even take your own action against the moving company that defrauded you. In America, it often seems like everyone can sue anyone for any reason at all, but guess who you can't sue? That's right. Your interstate moving company. If you are moving between cities in a single state, your own state's consumer protection laws should provide you some recourse, but for out of state moves, the federal courts have determined that state consumer laws do not apply AT ALL.

There are some warning signs that can help you protect yourself from the most overt rogue movers with their fly by night operations, but ultimately the best defense is a great offense because it is been shown time and time again that even big well known moving companies frequently can't be trusted either. Abuse is rife within the entire moving industry.

What you need for peace of mind during your move is the right information, so you will know:

• the right questions to ask your movers
• what documents to sign and, even more importantly, when to sign them
• When you are being told the truth and how to recognize the signs of bold-faced lies
• How to avoid being overcharged after the truck has been loaded
• What your moving insurance won't cover and what kind of documentation you need for any claims
• How to protect yourself and your stuff against dishonest movers

Wayne Jordan, who has worked in the moving claims business for 25 years, has written a new book on How to Protect Yourself from Moving Scams and Frauds.

Covering 65 different topics related to your move, it is far more comprehensive that the short pamphlets put together by the Feds.

• Checklists to keep track of everything having to do with your move.
• Interview sheets so you'll remember the most important questions to ask your moving company.
• Three ways to determine if the salesman's estimate is correct.
• How to organize your move to avoid property loss and damage.
• How to find a good moving company.
• How to find out if your mover's insurance is current.
• How to find out if your mover operates under aliases.
• How to find the accident record of your mover.
• The different types of estimates, and the consequences of each.
• How the movers should wrap and handle your property to avoid damage.
• How to determine what your shipment is actually worth so you have enough insurance
• How to prevent "surprise" charges when your shipment arrives.
• How to collect what is owed you if there is damage.

Everything is presented in language that makes sense and you won't feel like you need a law degree to figure out what's important and what isn't. All of the details on how protect yourself from fraudulent movers company scams are covered.

Click here to get your copy of How To Protect Yourself from Moving Scams and Frauds