Moving Fraud Research
Original investigations into moving industry fraud patterns. Backed by FMCSA data, cross-referenced review analysis, and interviews with legal professionals specializing in moving fraud.
37 investigations published. Sources: FMCSA SAFER, BBB, Google, Yelp, Reddit, Facebook, MovingScam.com, Surface Transportation Board records, FOIA responses.
The Florida Broker Problem: How Zero-Truck Companies Generate 76% of Moving Complaints
Florida has 2,593 registered movers and generates 7,188 NCCDB complaints. Five of the six most-complained companies are Florida brokers that own zero trucks. This is how the broker model works, why it produces so much consumer harm, and why nobody is stopping it.
California Moving Complaints: 2,042 Companies and a Different Pattern Than Florida
California has nearly as many registered movers as Florida but a fraction of the complaints. The data suggests a fundamentally different industry structure: more carriers, fewer brokers, and a complaint profile driven by operational failures rather than systematic fraud.
Florida Moving Complaints: 2,593 Companies, 7,188 Complaints, and the Broker Problem
Florida generates more NCCDB complaints than any other state by a wide margin. The data shows why: a corridor of zero-truck brokers in Broward and Palm Beach counties, dispatching carriers they barely vet, producing thousands of consumer complaints with zero enforcement consequences.
Georgia Moving Complaints: 1,234 Companies and a Chameleon Carrier Problem
Georgia has 1,234 registered movers, 53 with complaints, and 481 total filings. The state's complaint rate is driven by chameleon carriers in the Tucker area and broker-dispatched fraud from Florida.
Illinois Moving Complaints: 838 Companies and the Midwest's Highest Complaint Rate
Illinois has 838 registered movers, 84 with complaints, and 610 total filings. Small single-truck operators with extreme complaint counts dominate the state's NCCDB profile.
23,789 Movers. 51 States. The Complete National NCCDB Complaint Breakdown.
Trunk completed its scrape of every registered interstate mover in the FMCSA database. Here is the definitive national picture: complaint categories, regional distribution, worst companies, and shell company signals across all 50 states and DC.
New Jersey Moving Complaints: 1,260 Companies, 1,911 Complaints, and the Sherwood Lane Warehouse
New Jersey has fewer registered movers than Florida, California, or Texas, but a disproportionately high complaint rate. The data reveals a cluster of companies operating from a single warehouse in Fairfield, consumers tracking stolen goods via Find My iPhone, and at least one FBI referral.
New York Moving Complaints: 1,401 Companies in the Nation's Largest Metro
New York has the most registered movers of any state, but its complaint rate is lower than expected. The bigger problem: Florida-based brokers dispatching fraudulent carriers into the NY metro.
Texas Moving Complaints: 1,992 Companies in the Nation's Busiest Moving Market
Texas has nearly 2,000 registered interstate movers and leads the country in inbound and outbound move volume. Despite that, its complaint count is moderate. The data shows a state where the sheer size of the market dilutes complaint concentration.
The Rental Truck Signal: What Per-Truck Complaint Rates Reveal About Moving Fraud
Companies with 50+ NCCDB complaints per registered truck are almost certainly operating fleets of rental vehicles invisible to FMCSA's safety system. This is a screening signal consumers can use before hiring.
30 Sherwood Lane: Five Companies, One Warehouse, 316 Complaints
A single warehouse in Fairfield, New Jersey houses multiple moving companies with a combined 316+ NCCDB complaints. Consumers tracked stolen goods there via Find My iPhone. KMBC 9 investigated. Police referred the case to the FBI.
The 10 Most Complained-About Moving Companies in America
Trunk scraped FMCSA's NCCDB complaint records for 23,789 companies across all 51 jurisdictions. These 10 companies top the list, and their profiles reveal a pattern the raw numbers alone cannot show.
The Companies Suing a Consumer Protection Platform Have 907 Complaints Between Them
Safe Ship, Amerisafe, and Colonial Van Lines are suing USMPO for listing them as 'not verified.' Their combined NCCDB complaint count tells its own story.
We Scraped 8,500 Movers from FMCSA. Here's What the Complaint Data Shows.
FMCSA collects complaint data on every registered interstate mover but won't publish it in aggregate. So Trunk built the first national breakdown by category, company type, and region.
A Georgia Carrier Was Revoked. Five Days Earlier, Its Replacement Was Already Licensed.
The Menards, Handle With Care, and JCS Moving network: how a Florida broker, a serial fraud operator, and FMCSA's reincarnation loophole victimize consumers across state lines.
The Zenith Moving Group Playbook: FaceTime Walkthrough, Text Promises, Then Double the Price
A Florida broker quoted $3,999 after two FaceTime walkthroughs. The sales rep texted that the price would not change. Two days before the move, a 'quality assurance' call doubled it to $7,787. Full email chain included.
19 Victim Stories, One Pattern: What Moving Fraud Looks Like From the Consumer Side
We analyzed 19 documented victim accounts compiled by a consumer advocate. The fraud follows the same script every time.
$30,000 to Move 438 Miles: One Consumer's Three-Year Fight
A consumer paid $68 per mile to move a small home from Idaho to Washington State. She has spent the three years since documenting the fraud network that victimized her and hundreds of others.
Mover-Friendly Arbitration: When the Dispute Process Is Part of the Scam
Federal law requires movers to offer arbitration. It does not require the arbitration to be fair.
H.R. 880: The Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act, Explained
A pending bill that would restore FMCSA's enforcement authority, expand state enforcement powers, and begin addressing two decades of regulatory failure.
Volume Fraud: The Moving Scam With Zero Regulatory Controls
Weight-based shipments have federal verification rules. Volume-based charges have none. This is the source of most overcharge complaints.
One Company, Fourteen Names: How Moving Fraud Networks Hide in Plain Sight
Noble Moving and Storage operates under at least 14 aliases. It is not an outlier. Shell company networks are the defining pattern of household goods fraud.
When Moving Fraud Finally Becomes Criminal: Five Cases, Hundreds of Victims
Federal criminal prosecution of moving fraud requires hundreds of victims and years of documented harm. Restitution is rarely paid. And convicted fraudsters get new FMCSA authority while still on probation.
Eagle Moving Group: FOIA-Obtained NCCDB Complaints, Zero Enforcement
We obtained FMCSA's own NCCDB complaint records for a Florida broker through a Freedom of Information Act request. The pattern is consistent across every victim. The agency's response: notification letters.
USMPO Under Siege: When Watchdogs Become Targets
Three moving companies sued a nonprofit consumer protection organization to shut down its database. The case reveals why independent visibility in the moving industry is both essential and dangerous.
Why BBB Ratings Don't Protect You From Bad Movers
The BBB algorithm rewards responding to complaints, not resolving them. Here's how bad movers exploit it.
FMCSA Has a Safety System. It Has Nothing for Fraud.
The agency responsible for protecting consumers from moving fraud has never built the tools to do it.
8 Ways to Fight Back When a Mover Scams You
Most consumers don't know these options exist. Here's exactly how to use them.
One Lawyer vs. an Industry: How a Retired Attorney Is Forcing FMCSA to Act
A retired lawyer got scammed by a mover, then spent hundreds of hours studying moving law and the industry, and in the process uncovered a legal remedy the Department of Transportation neglected to implement.
The One-Truck Problem: When Your Mover Is a Broker in Disguise
Small carriers that rent trucks and subcontract moves are one of the most common sources of moving fraud.
How Scam Movers Silence Their Critics
When bad movers can't fix their reputation, they sue the people who document it.
How Consumers Mapped a Moving Fraud Network That FMCSA Can't See
Three Florida brokers. One California carrier. 750+ BBB complaints. Recorded phone calls. AirTags. This is how consumers connected the dots on an interstate moving fraud pipeline.
The Moving Company ABC7 Investigated Had Already Set Up Its Replacement
B&B Transportation racked up 51 federal complaints before a 2018 TV expose. Its owner had quietly incorporated a new company at the same address five months earlier. That company went on to accumulate 97 more complaints and a federal court judgment.
One Call Center, Eight Fake Names, 300 Victims: Inside the Gold Standard Moving Scam
A Florida moving broker ran a single call center under 8 different company names to dodge bad reviews. The carrier it hired stored 450 pallets of stolen belongings in an Oregon warehouse. The FBI, DOT Inspector General, and Florida AG all got involved. Here's what happened.
Caught Dumping Furniture on Camera, Fined $100, Still Operating: Pro Movers Inc
ABC7 caught a Santa Ana moving company illegally dumping furniture in a residential alley. The fine was $100. Three years later, the company is still operating with an F rating, advertising interstate moves without federal authorization, and accumulating complaints about stolen items and review suppression.
The Moving Company That Dumped Furniture on Skid Row Runs 4 Entities From One Apartment
In July 2024, a VIP Pro Moving truck was filmed unloading furniture onto LA's Skid Row at midnight. The company is registered at a Marina Del Rey apartment with 1 truck on file. The same operator runs three other entities, including one that quietly relocated to Texas with a 52% driver out-of-service rate.
Same Owner, New Name, Clean Record: How Chameleon Carriers Game the System
We investigated an Atlanta moving company with a clean FMCSA record. Public data told a different story.