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The 5-minute check before you book any mover

Every moving scam leaves fingerprints in public records. Here is the five-minute routine that finds them.

1. Run the name through MoverAudit

Type the company name or USDOT number. You get license status, broker or carrier, fleet size and four years of federal complaints in one card.

2. Confirm the USDOT number on their paperwork

Every legal interstate mover must print a USDOT number on quotes and websites. No number, no deal. A number that belongs to a different company name is an even bigger red flag.

3. Compare trucks to promises

A company quoting nationwide next-day pickups with 2 registered trucks is not doing that work itself. Fleet size is in the report.

4. Read the complaint categories, not just the total

Ten "loss and damage" complaints at a huge carrier is normal friction. Two "hostage goods" complaints anywhere is a walk-away sign. Categories tell you how a company fails.

5. Get the estimate in writing, and know its type

Binding means the price is the price. Non-binding means delivery-day charges are capped at 110% of the estimate. Verbal quotes mean nothing.

Deposits: reputable movers ask for little or nothing up front. A large non-refundable deposit, especially by Zelle, Venmo or wire, is the classic setup for a vanishing mover.

Check your mover now