You Got Scammed by a Mover. Here Is Exactly What Evidence to Collect Right Now.

If you have been overcharged, had your belongings held hostage, or discovered damage or theft after a move, the evidence you collect in the next 48 hours determines your options. This is not about building a lawsuit. It is about preserving the information you need for a credit card chargeback, an FMCSA complaint, a small claims case, or a state attorney general report.

Do this before you call anyone. Evidence deteriorates. Websites change. Phone numbers disconnect. The company you hired today may not exist next month.

Screenshot everything before it disappears:

1. The company's website. Every page: homepage, About Us, contact page, reviews page, terms and conditions. Use your browser's full-page screenshot or print to PDF. These sites go down when complaints pile up.

2. Your email thread with the company. Forward the entire thread to yourself. Include the original estimate, any revised estimates, booking confirmations, and all communications.

3. Text messages with the salesperson, dispatcher, or driver. Screenshot every text. Include phone numbers.

4. The company's Google Business listing, Yelp page, and BBB profile. Screenshot the current state, including their rating, review count, and any responses to complaints.

5. The company's FMCSA registration. Go to safer.fmcsa.dot.gov, enter their USDOT number, and screenshot the result. This shows whether they are a carrier or broker, how many trucks they have, and their authority status. If their authority is later revoked, you want proof it was active when you hired them.

6. Your bank or credit card statements showing all payments to the company.

Gather and photograph every piece of paper from the move:

1. The original estimate (binding or non-binding). This is the most important document. It shows what you were promised.

2. Any revised estimate. Was it signed before loading began? If not, the original estimate governs (49 CFR 375.401(g)).

3. The Bill of Lading (BOL). This is the contract. Check: does it show the same company name as the one you hired? Does it show a different carrier? Are the charges consistent with the estimate?

4. The inventory list. Were all items tagged? Does the count match what was loaded vs. delivered?

5. Payment receipts. Cash receipts, Zelle confirmations, money order stubs, credit card receipts. If you paid cash under duress (hostage situation), note the amount, time, and who you paid.

6. The Order for Service, Valuation Addendum, and any other forms you signed. You may have signed documents you did not read. Photograph them all.

7. Business cards, flyers, or any printed material from the crew.

If items are damaged or missing:

1. Photograph every damaged item before moving it. Include close-ups of the damage and wider shots showing the item in context.

2. Create a written inventory of missing items. For each item: description, approximate value, where it was last seen, and whether it was on the inventory list.

3. For stolen firearms: File immediately with local police (theft report), the ATF (atf.gov or 1-888-930-9275), and FMCSA. Include serial numbers.

4. For high-value items (jewelry, electronics, art): File a police report. You will need it for insurance claims and any legal action.

5. Check your pre-move photos. If you photographed your home before loading (and you should have), compare the inventory to what arrived.

In many scam moves, three or more companies are involved and none accepts responsibility. Document the chain:

1. Who did you originally contact? (The broker or salesperson.) Get their USDOT number from safer.fmcsa.dot.gov.

2. Who showed up on moving day? (The carrier.) Check the truck for a USDOT number. Photograph it. If they used a rental truck (Penske, U-Haul), photograph the rental company logo and any markings.

3. Who did you pay? (This may be different from both.) Check the name on your credit card statement or the Zelle recipient.

4. Who is on the Bill of Lading? (This should be the carrier but sometimes shows a different entity.)

5. Who stored your belongings in transit? If you used AirTags or GPS trackers, note every location your belongings traveled to.

These may be four different companies. Document all of them.

File these in order:

1. Credit card chargeback (if you paid by card). Call your card issuer. Cite 'services not as described.' Provide the original estimate vs. actual charges. This is your fastest path to recovering money. Do not wait.

2. FMCSA complaint: nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov or call 1-888-368-7238. Select all applicable categories: Estimates/Final Charges, Hostage Goods, Deceptive Business Practices, Loss and Damage. Include the USDOT numbers of every company involved.

3. State attorney general: File with the AG in your state AND the state where the mover is registered (usually Florida). Cite 49 USC 14710, which authorizes state AGs to enforce federal HHG regulations.

4. BBB complaint: File at bbb.org. This creates a public record.

5. Police report: If your belongings are being held hostage or items were stolen, file with local police. Bring your Bill of Lading and proof of payment. Some departments are unfamiliar with moving fraud. Show them the contract.

Most consumers do not know this: the $75,000 surety bond that every broker is required to carry (Form BMC-84) explicitly covers claims by shippers, not just carriers. The regulatory text (49 CFR 387.307(a)) states the bond provides for 'payments to shippers or motor carriers if the broker fails to carry out its contracts, agreements, or arrangements.'

If your broker collected a deposit and failed to deliver the services promised, you may have a claim against their bond. Here is how to file one:

1. Look up the broker at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov. Go to the Insurance/Authority section. Find the surety bond provider name, policy number, and contact information.

2. Submit a written claim to the surety provider. Include: your name and contact information, the broker's name, USDOT and MC numbers, a description of how the broker failed to carry out the contract, copies of the estimate, BOL, and proof of payment, and the dollar amount you are claiming.

3. The surety provider must respond. Under the 2023 final rule, if the broker does not respond to a claim within 7 business days, the surety provider can determine the claim is valid and pay it. If the bond falls below $75,000 from accumulated claims, FMCSA will suspend the broker's authority.

4. If the broker has experienced financial failure or insolvency, the surety must accept claims for 60 days after FMCSA publishes notice in the FMCSA Register.

The $75,000 bond is shared among all claimants. If multiple consumers and carriers file claims exceeding $75,000, payments may be pro rata. File early.

The FBI maintains a dedicated email for victims of moving company fraud: movingcompanyfraud@fbi.gov. This was established during the investigation of a $12 million moving fraud scheme involving nine company names and fake reviews on BBB and Yelp (US v. Pardi, E.D. Pennsylvania, 2022).

If your case involves theft, extortion, wire fraud (payment demands via phone or internet), or a pattern suggesting organized fraud across multiple company names, report to the FBI in addition to FMCSA and local police. The FBI and DOT Office of Inspector General work together on HHG fraud cases. The OIG hotline is 1-800-424-9071 or hotline@oig.dot.gov.

If the mover demanded cash, refused to provide invoices, or did not list the final charge on the Bill of Lading, report them to their bank. Banks have legal obligations under the Bank Secrecy Act to investigate suspicious activity.

Find the mover's bank from your payment records (the receiving bank on a wire transfer, or the bank name on a check). Call the bank's fraud department and report: the company demanded cash only, no final invoice was provided, the final charge was not listed on the Bill of Lading. The bank can file a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) with FinCEN.

Also report to the mover's insurance carrier. Find the insurance company on the FMCSA SAFER record under Insurance/Authority. The insurance company has a financial interest in knowing whether its client is operating fraudulently. In one documented case, an insurance company sent investigators to the mover's location, discovered an empty building, and the company was shut down shortly after.

AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline: 877-908-3360. Free assistance for anyone (not just AARP members) who suspects they have been a victim of fraud.

FBI Moving Company Fraud: movingcompanyfraud@fbi.gov. Dedicated email for victims of organized moving fraud schemes. This email is not prominently listed on FBI.gov and is difficult to find through search engines. It was established during the Pardi investigation ($12M, 9 company names) and is monitored by the FBI and DOT OIG.

DOT OIG Hotline: 1-800-424-9071 or hotline@oig.dot.gov. For reporting suspected criminal activity by moving companies.

FMCSA Complaint Hotline: 1-888-368-7238 or nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov.

These deadlines are federal law. Missing them can eliminate your rights:

180 days from delivery: Deadline to file a billing dispute with the carrier for overcharges (49 USC 13710(a)(3)(B)). This is the most important and least-known deadline. Send a written dispute to the carrier by certified mail.

9 months from delivery: Deadline to file a property damage or loss claim under the Carmack Amendment (49 USC 14706).

No fixed deadline for Section 14704 complaints, but file as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the harder it is to collect evidence and the more likely the company dissolves or reincorporates under a new name.

Do not accept a settlement offer contingent on deleting your online reviews or social media posts. At least one broker (Menards Moving) has demanded consumers remove negative Facebook posts as a condition for returning belongings. Your posts are evidence and they are protected speech.

Do not sign any 'Release of All Claims' document in exchange for a partial refund without reading it carefully. Some brokers offer $75 refunds in exchange for releasing all liability.

Do not wait. Companies that generate hundreds of complaints know how to disappear. Authority gets revoked. Phone numbers disconnect. Websites go offline. Collect and file everything now.