Template: Ask Your Representative What They Are Doing About Moving Fraud

Members of Congress respond to constituent pressure, especially during election years. If you have been scammed by a moving company, or if you care about consumer protection, your representative needs to hear from you.

You do not need to be an expert. You do not need a law degree. You need five minutes and this letter.

House: Go to house.gov and enter your zip code. Your Representative's name, office address, phone number, and email will appear.

Senate: Go to senate.gov/senators. Your state has two Senators. Contact both.

The most effective approach, in order: visit their local district office in person, call their office, email, then mail a letter. A constituent who shows up in person gets more attention than an email.

Dear [Representative/Senator name],

I am writing as a constituent in [your city/town] to ask what you are doing to address household goods moving fraud and FMCSA's failure to enforce consumer protection laws.

[IF YOU WERE SCAMMED: I was personally affected by a moving scam. I hired [company name] for an interstate move. I was quoted $[amount] and charged $[actual amount]. My belongings were [held hostage / damaged / lost / stolen / delivered weeks late]. I filed a complaint with FMCSA. Nothing happened.]

[IF YOU WERE NOT SCAMMED: Thousands of Americans are scammed by interstate moving companies every year. FMCSA received over 4,400 household goods complaints in 2025 alone.]

Here is what the data shows:

FMCSA has closed zero broker enforcement cases since September 2024.

National carrier enforcement cases dropped 65% from FY 2024 to FY 2025.

In 2012, Congress required FMCSA to create a proficiency exam for moving company applicants. Fourteen years later, the exam does not exist.

In 2017, a Congressionally mandated Working Group submitted 19 consumer protection recommendations. Virtually none have been implemented.

The agency's own internal memo acknowledges it lacks authority to assess civil penalties for consumer protection violations since the 2019 Riojas decision.

FMCSA lost 15-20% of its workforce in the past year, including the Chief of Commercial Enforcement and the Lead Investigator on its household goods enforcement team.

H.R. 880 / S. 337, the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act, would restore FMCSA's enforcement authority, require physical addresses for broker registration, and allow states to use federal funds for consumer protection enforcement. This bill has bipartisan support from both parties.

I am asking you:

1. Do you support H.R. 880 / S. 337? If not, why not? 2. What are you doing to ensure FMCSA enforces the consumer protection laws Congress has already passed? 3. Will you request a GAO audit of FMCSA's household goods enforcement program?

I am watching. My neighbors are watching. We are voting.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, [Your name] [Your address] [Your phone number]

1. Personalize the letter. A personal story is more powerful than statistics. If you were scammed, describe what happened in two to three sentences. Include the company name and dollar amounts.

2. Visit the district office. Members of Congress spend most of their time in Washington, but their district staff handle constituent services. Walk in, ask for the staffer who handles transportation or consumer protection issues, and leave a copy of the letter.

3. Bring documentation. A one-page summary of your experience, a copy of your FMCSA complaint confirmation, or a printed article about moving fraud gives the staffer something concrete to pass up.

4. Follow up. Call a week later and ask if the office received your letter and whether the member has a position on H.R. 880.

5. Share this template. Every constituent who contacts a member's office about moving fraud adds to the count. Offices track constituent contacts by issue. When enough people ask about the same thing, it gets attention.

6. Post about it. Share that you contacted your representative on social media. Tag their official account. Other constituents seeing you do it may do it themselves.

H.R. 880 (House) / S. 337 (Senate): Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act. Bipartisan. Restores FMCSA enforcement authority.

The SAFE Act (Senate, July 2026): Targets chameleon carriers with automated detection.

FMCSA complaint hotline: 1-888-368-7238 or nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov

Trunk research on FMCSA enforcement: trunk.lorea.ai/insights/fmcsa-enforcement-gap

Every member of Congress who has acted on moving fraud: trunk.lorea.ai/insights/congress-and-moving-fraud

14 regulatory changes that would end moving fraud: trunk.lorea.ai/insights/ten-reforms-end-moving-fraud