How to Read a Moving Company's Website Like an Investigator
Stock photos of trucks. No physical address. A domain registered three months ago claiming ten years of experience. 656 flagged movers in Trunk's database have no website at all. Here is what to look for and what it means.
A moving company's website is not just marketing. It is evidence. The details on the page, and the details missing from it, tell you whether you are looking at a legitimate business or a lead generation front.
Trunk analyzed the web presence of 1,421 profiled movers. 656 flagged movers have no website at all. Among those that do, the patterns are consistent enough to create a checklist.
Red Flag: Stock Photos of Trucks With Logos
A real moving company has real photos of its real trucks. The truck has a DOT number on the side, the company name painted (not magnetically attached), and signs of actual use.
Scam brokers use stock photos of generic moving trucks, sometimes with the company logo digitally superimposed. The ATA Moving and Storage Conference confirmed in 2024 FMCSA comments that registered brokers use 'stock photos of trucks with company logos and crews in uniforms' on websites where the company owns zero trucks.
How to check: right-click the truck photo and select 'Search image with Google.' If the same truck appears on multiple moving company websites with different logos, it is a stock photo.
Red Flag: No Physical Address
FMCSA regulations require carriers to maintain a physical address where records can be accessed and inspected and where principals can be interviewed in person. A company that lists only a PO Box, a UPS Store, or no address at all may not have a real office.
Virtual office addresses (Regus, WeWork, shared suites) are not illegal per se, but they are a signal. Mayzlin Relocation's FMCSA registration shows a Charlotte, NC address with a 954 area code (Broward County, FL). The company advertises nationally while maintaining a single virtual office registration.
How to check: Google Street View the address. If it is a strip mall mailbox store, an apartment complex, or a vacant lot, the company does not operate from that location.
Red Flag: No DOT or MC Number on the Website
Every interstate mover must have a USDOT number. Every broker must have an MC number. Legitimate companies display these prominently because they are credentials. Companies that do not display them either do not have them (operating illegally) or do not want you to look them up.
How to check: search the company name at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov. If the company claims to be a carrier but is registered as a broker (or not registered at all), the website is misrepresenting the business.
Red Flag: 'Over a Decade of Experience' From a Company Registered Last Year
In the Pardi criminal case ($12M fraud, E.D. Pennsylvania, 2022), the FBI documented that the defendants falsely claimed their companies had been 'in business for over a decade' and served 'more than a thousand satisfied customers.' None of this was true.
How to check: look up the domain registration at whois.domaintools.com. If the website was created 6 months ago but claims 10 years of experience, the claim is false. Also check the FMCSA registration date on SAFER. A company registered in 2025 cannot have a decade of experience.
Red Flag: Template Website Shared Across Companies
Some fraud networks use the same website template across multiple company names. The layout, color scheme, stock photos, and even the 'About Us' text are identical, with only the company name swapped.
How to check: if two companies have suspiciously similar websites, search for unique phrases from one site in quotes on Google. If the same paragraph appears on multiple moving company websites, they are likely operated by the same entity.
Red Flag: No Team Photos, No Named Employees
A company with real employees shows them. Team photos, named crew members, employee bios. A company that hires day labor from Craigslist has no team to photograph. The 'About Us' page describes the company in generic terms ('our professional team,' 'experienced movers') without naming a single person.
How to check: look for specific names. A website that says 'Contact Mike for your free estimate' and shows Mike's photo is more accountable than a website with a generic contact form and no names.
Not a Red Flag: An Old or Ugly Website
Not every bad website belongs to a bad company. Some of the best movers in Trunk's database have websites that look like they were built in 2008. They have not updated the design because they are busy moving furniture, not optimizing their web presence.
A dated WordPress site from a company with 20 years of operation, consistent Reddit recommendations, and zero NCCDB complaints is a better signal than a polished Wix site from a company registered three months ago with no reviews and no DOT number.
The website's age and design quality do not indicate service quality. The website's content, specifically what it claims and what it omits, is what matters.
No Website At All
656 movers flagged to avoid in Trunk's database have no website. They advertise through Google Ads, lead generation sites like verifiedmovers.com, and Facebook. They collect deposits through phone calls and electronic signatures. When the move goes wrong, the consumer has no web presence to point to, no address to verify, no public record of what the company claimed.
A company with no website is not necessarily fraudulent. Some small, local, owner-operated movers rely entirely on word-of-mouth and do not need a website. But the combination of no website, a Florida or New Jersey registration, zero trucks, and a high complaint count is a pattern that appears repeatedly in Trunk's fraud network analysis.
The absence of a website is not proof of fraud. It is the absence of accountability.
Companies Mentioned
Sources: Trunk mover database (1,421 profiled movers). ATA Moving and Storage Conference comments to FMCSA (March 2024). US v. Pardi (E.D. Pennsylvania, 2022). FMCSA SAFER database.