Craigslist Mover Scams

There are three major moving scams out there. One of the most prevalent is the “Craigslist Mover Scam.” So what is the Craigslist mover scam? Simply it is when a “moving company” (I use that term loosely) places a free ad on Craigslist saying that they will move you for a very low-ball price and they are not even a legal company, and ultimately you get scammed by having to pay a larger than expected prices for the move, or your stuff is damaged; or even stolen. And there is not a whole hell’ve a lot you can do about it.

In our day and age the internet is king. Gone are the days when we would go to the Yellowpages, or some other phone book, and look for companies and call around to see the right fit for you. You knew if they were in the Yellowpages then they were a legitimate company. Now everyone goes to the internet. And one of the biggest places people look to for services is Craigslist.

There are many good moving companies that advertise their services on Craigslist. This is not to scare you away from using this service. Indeed, it is only to inform you that Craigslist is a hotbed for rogue movers whose intention is to defraud you. I have written a great article that informs you about the “10 Very Important Moving Company Questions” to ask. I would suggest you get and read the ebook “Protect Your Move” which can be found at my blog Helpful Moving Advice Blog. The link is found in my resource box at the bottom of this article.

So if you use Craigslist to find a moving company for your move I suggest that you look for these things:

1. Do they have a website or blog?

2. Are they in the Yellowpages?

3. Are they in the BBB?

4. If they are not an accredited BBB member, do they at least have a profile?

5. Are they members of any formal clubs like Chamber of Commerce, etc?

6. Do they have a DOT and MC numbers listed in their ads?

7. When you call them, do they answer with their company name or just hello (or something like that?)

8. Have you even heard of them before?

9. Do they have low ball prices?

These are just some of the more important things to look for when searching on Craigslist for a moving company. If maybe one or two of these are omitted that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are scam, but if they are missing a majority or all of them then DO NOT USE THAT COMPANY!