8 Ways to Fight Back When a Mover Scams You

Call 1-888-368-7238 or file online at nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov. Yes, FMCSA rarely takes enforcement action. But the complaint creates an official federal record tied to the carrier's USDOT number. If enough complaints accumulate, it can trigger an investigation. More importantly, your complaint becomes part of the public record that platforms like Trunk can reference when flagging carriers.

Include as much detail as possible: the USDOT and MC numbers, the date of the move, the original estimate, the final charge, what happened, and any documentation you have. The more specific the complaint, the more useful it is as a data point, both for potential FMCSA action and for independent platforms that cross-reference complaint records.

There are two distinct administrative remedy paths, and most consumers (and lawyers) do not know either one exists. The first is under 49 USC 13701-13702, which gives the STB jurisdiction to review the 'reasonableness' of household goods carrier rates, rules, and practices. Every HHG carrier must publish a tariff with the 'exact rate, charges and service terms applicable to any given shipment' (49 CFR 1310.3). A carrier may not charge more than the tariff rate. If a carrier's rates or practices are unreasonable, the STB can invalidate the tariff, prescribe new rates, and 'award reparations to the complaining shipper in an amount equal to all sums assessed and collected that exceed the determined reasonable rate' (49 USC 13701(d)(4)). A legal professional filed the first HHG shipper complaint under this provision in 25 years (STB Docket NOR-42182, November 2024). The carrier hired a transportation attorney, and the case settled within weeks with $6,500 recovered.

The second path is 49 USC 14704, which is broader and covers regulatory violations by carriers AND brokers. Consumers can file with the Secretary of Transportation, the STB, or state and federal courts. Attorney fees are recoverable under 14704(e) if enforcement is sought in federal court. The precedent-setting case is OFMCSA's complaint intake process v. New Prime, Inc. (192 F.3d 778, 8th Cir. 1999), which established the 'private right of action for damages' from carrier violations. A critical consumer tip: always request a copy of the carrier's tariff. Under STB regulations, the tariff must contain exact rates. Almost every broker estimate and carrier bill of lading violates these requirements. 'Today only' discounts are incompatible with exact rate tariff requirements. If the carrier has no tariff, that absence is itself a violation of STB and FMCSA law (49 USC 14903), and the STB can still determine reasonable compensation. File STB complaints at stb.gov. File broker and carrier regulatory violation complaints with the Secretary of Transportation at DOT, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington DC 20590. You can, in addition to a paper complaint, upload a 14704 adjudicatory complaint to the OST (Office of Secretary of Transportation) docket system by following instructions for "shell" docket at transportation.gov/dockets/how-file-docket-submissions. A sample of a Section 14704 complaint is available at regulations.gov/docket/FMCSA-2026-0069.

Every state AG has a consumer protection division that handles moving complaints. Some states (like California, New York, and Florida) are aggressive about moving fraud. File with your origin state AND destination state AG if the move was interstate. State AGs can issue cease-and-desist orders, impose fines, and in some cases pursue criminal charges.

State-level enforcement is often more responsive than federal enforcement. State AGs are elected officials who benefit politically from visible consumer protection actions. A pattern of complaints against a single carrier in one state can prompt a state investigation even when the same pattern at the federal level produces no action. Most states, in addition, have a motor carrier regulation agency that also acts on moving fraud cases. State attorneys general and carrier regulators have express authority in federal law (49 USC 14710 and 14711) to step in and enforce FMCSA laws where the federal agency is slow or reluctant to do so. Civil penalties collected by the state accrue to the state treasury and may be shared with consumer victims.

Most states allow claims up to $5,000 to $10,000 in small claims court. You don't need a lawyer. Bring your written estimate, the final bill, photos of damage, and any communication showing the bait-and-switch. The mover has to show up in the jurisdiction where the move originated or terminated. Many movers default (don't show up) and you win by default judgment.

Small claims court is particularly effective for moving disputes because the facts are usually straightforward: you were quoted one price, you were charged another, and you have the paperwork to prove it. Judges in small claims court handle consumer disputes routinely and understand bait-and-switch tactics. Filing fees are typically $30 to $75. Most small claims courts allow online filing of a complaint and virtual hearings for trials and motions, so appearance in a distant jurisdiction is not as difficult as it may seem.

If you paid by credit card, file a chargeback with your card issuer within 60 days of the charge. Describe the fraud: price was X, they charged Y after loading your belongings. Provide the written estimate as evidence. Credit card companies are aggressive about chargebacks and the mover has to prove the charge was legitimate.

This is why some scam movers insist on cash or cashier's check, to prevent this remedy. If a mover tells you they only accept cash, Zelle, or wire transfer, treat that as a major red flag. Legitimate movers accept credit cards because they have nothing to hide from the chargeback process. The payment method a mover demands tells you how they expect the transaction to end.

Every FMCSA-licensed household goods broker is required to maintain a $75,000 surety bond (BMC-84). This bond exists specifically to protect consumers when brokers fail to meet their financial obligations. If a broker scams you, collects a deposit and disappears, or assigns your move to an unlicensed carrier that damages your belongings, you can file a claim directly against the broker's surety bond. The bond covers unreturned deposits, statutory damages from regulatory violations, and unpaid carrier freight charges. In practice, surety companies often deny claims in bad faith, citing irrelevant statutes or issuing one-paragraph rejections. When this happens, file a complaint with your state insurance commissioner (the surety is regulated as an insurance product) alongside your FMCSA complaint. The bond amount and surety company are listed in the broker's FMCSA SAFER record. The statute of limitations for bond claims is typically four years, and attorney fees may be recoverable under Section 14704.

Photograph the truck on arrival, including the size and any branding (compare to the cubic footage on your estimate). Save all written estimates, contracts, and text or email communication. Photograph your belongings before loading. Get the names of the crew members. Note the USDOT and MC numbers on the truck. Record the timeline: when they arrived, when they demanded more money, what they said.

All of this becomes evidence in any of the five remedies above. The single most important piece of evidence is the gap between your written estimate and the final charge. If you have a binding estimate for $3,000 and were charged $6,000, that document tells the story in every forum, whether it is FMCSA, the STB, the state AG, small claims court, or your credit card company.

Trunk tracks over 4,200 movers and cross-references eight sources to identify carriers with patterns of overcharging, hostage loads, and bait-and-switch pricing. If you have been scammed, check whether the carrier is already flagged in our database. Your experience may be part of a documented pattern that strengthens your case.

If the mover is a broker, document the broker's USDOT number and look up their BMC-84 bond information in FMCSA SAFER records. Note whether the broker disclosed their carrier list as required by 49 CFR 371.109, and whether the carrier that showed up was on that list.

If your belongings are being held hostage, 49 USC 14915 gives the Secretary of Transportation authority to order the carrier to return your goods. The law also imposes civil penalties of $10,000 or more per violation and mandatory license suspension of 12 to 36 months. Each day a carrier fails to give up possession counts as a separate violation. FMCSA wrote implementation procedures for this law in 2006 but has not created a consumer-facing process to invoke it. No form exists on the FMCSA website. No instructions tell consumers how to request this remedy. A legal professional working on hostage cases created his own request form and submitted it to FMCSA on behalf of a victim. The agency provided no effective response, but the request creates a documented record of inaction. To make the request yourself: write a letter to the FMCSA Administrator (1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington DC 20590) citing 49 USC 14915(a)(1) and requesting that the Secretary order the carrier to return your household goods. Include the carrier's USDOT number, your bill of lading or contract, proof of payment, and a description of the hostage situation. Send copies to your state Attorney General and your congressional representatives. The statute is clear. The agency's failure to implement a process does not eliminate the right.

Most consumers know about the 9-month deadline for property damage claims under the Carmack Amendment. What almost nobody knows is that billing disputes (overcharges, bait-and-switch pricing, hostage load surcharges) have a much shorter deadline: 180 days. Under 49 USC 13710(a)(3)(B), the statute of repose for notice of billing disputes to carriers is only 180 days from the date of delivery. The Tenth Circuit confirmed this in Southern Furniture Mfrs. Ass'n v. YRC, 989 F.3d 1141 (10th Cir. 2021). FMCSA does not mention this deadline anywhere on its consumer-facing website. If your mover overcharged you, you have six months to formally dispute the bill with the carrier. After that, your right to challenge the charges may be lost. File your dispute in writing, keep a copy, and send it certified mail.

Carriers must maintain only $5,000 in coverage for loss or damage to household goods inventory (49 USC 13902, 49 CFR 387.303). For a typical household with $50,000 or more in belongings, this coverage is functionally meaningless. Brokers must provide $75,000 in surety bond coverage (BMC-84), but this covers breach of contract and malfeasance claims, not cargo damage. For both carrier and broker security, FMCSA provides no information to consumers on how to access insurance or security proceeds when a claim is made or a judgment entered. When a carrier or broker disappears or becomes insolvent, consumers have no practical way to recover from the carrier's insurance. This is why full value protection (FVP) at the time of booking, while expensive ($300 to $600), is the only meaningful coverage available to consumers. Full value protection (FVP) is the regulatory default. Carriers and brokers frequently obtain consumer waivers of FVP, leaving only released value protection ($0.60 per pound) which covers almost nothing. If the carrier did not obtain an informed waiver, FVP may still apply regardless of what the paperwork says.