By hiring the wrong movers to handle your relocation, you can easily end up in a situation dealing with "Rogue Movers." These are people who have a truck and end up holding people's household goods hostage for more money.

It's extremely simple to avoid a potential scenario like that. Linda Bauer Darr, president and CEO of the American Moving & Storage Association, recently released a list of "8 Things You Need to Know Before Moving."
The top two items on her list are the most important and easiest ways to avoid getting scammed.
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From her list:

1) Hire a mover with an established track record, not the one that just pops up first on your Google search.

As consumers are buying more moving services online, the rogues have figured out a way to scam the system. The rogues are investing all their money in the technology it takes for them to have priority placement in the online environment, whether it’s search engine optimization or some other set of tools they’re using.

But, ultimately, they are using their dollars for those marketing purposes, and they’re not necessarily using those dollars to invest in things like safe drivers and maintaining their vehicles. Those are the costs of compliance that professional movers take on in their everyday business.

2) Get that estimate in person.

It’s important that the mover is invited into the home and is able to evaluate everything that needs to be moved.  Is there a playground set that needs to be moved?  Is there special equipment or a plasma TV that needs to be disassembled and taken off the wall that’s going to have to be packed in special crating?  Those kinds of things add to the cost. If that kind of an estimate is provided online or over the phone, chances are the movers aren’t really going to be able to give you a sound estimate if they haven’t been in the house and had a chance to eyeball it.