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Home / Moving Companies guides / How to Avoid Moving Scams: The Checks That Take Ten Minutes

How to Avoid Moving Scams: The Checks That Take Ten Minutes

Hostage loads, phantom brokers and the 110% rule — and the federal database that exposes most of them.

Written by Team RankingRight
August 22, 2026 · 4 min read

The common scams

  • The lowball quote by phone with no survey, then a "revised" price once your goods are on the truck.
  • The broker who sells your move to an unknown carrier; you never learn who has your things.
  • The hostage load: pay more or the truck does not unload.

Ten-minute checks

  1. Look the company up on the FMCSA mover search (protectyourmove.gov). No USDOT number, or "broker" instead of "carrier", is a stop sign.
  2. Insist on a binding or not-to-exceed estimate after a video or in-home survey.
  3. Read the "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move" booklet the mover must give you.
  4. Pay a small deposit by card, never a large one by cash or wire.
  5. Check BBB and the FMCSA complaint history against the company's size.

The 110% rule

On a non-binding estimate a mover can require up to 110% of the estimate at delivery; anything above that is due 30 days later, giving you time to dispute.

» See the full rankings: Best Moving Companies of 2026, Best Long-Distance Moving Companies .