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 Consider
this scenario: You accepted a job offer
in another state. You have to move all your possessions
and household goods and can't do it by yourself.
You search the Internet for "moving companies"
and find a company that provides online estimates
and promises to make your moving experience a
pleasant one. The estimate you receive is too
hard to pass up. You contact the company, agree
on what sounds like a fantastic price, and arrange
for the movers to come to your house to load your
household goods.
After
your goods have been loaded on the truck, the
foreman tells you that because your goods took
up more space in the truck than the movers estimated,
or because they used a lot more packing materials
than they expected, the move is going to cost
you more--as much as two or three times more than
the estimate--and the movers want the money, and
want it in cash, or they will not deliver your
furniture.
Imaginary
scenario? Nope, it actually happened...and
to thousands of people...victimized by the criminal
practices of 16 Florida-based moving companies.
The good news is that a joint U.S. Department
of Transportation/FBI investigation that used
undercover agents posing as customers resulted
in the indictment of 74 owners and employees of
these companies. The indictments charged offenses
of Conspiracy, Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, Extortion
Money Laundering and Bill of Lading fraud. To
date, the indictments have resulted in dozens
of convictions.
Modus
operandi: Pretty much the same for each
company: The companies would give a low estimate
for the price of the move and after arriving at
the customer's house, the movers would rush customers
through the paperwork, causing them to sign blank
or incomplete bills of lading and other documents.
It was only after all the customer's worldly goods
were packed--safe and sound, they thought--on
what was frequently a rental truck, that the company
would increase the price. And when customers refused
to pay the jacked-up prices, their furniture was
held hostage. It was usually stored in a damp
and dirty warehouse at an undisclosed location.
In many cases, the goods would be ransacked and
damaged, and valuables stolen. Some of the goods
were actually auctioned off or worse yet, abandoned.
The
lesson: It's an old adage, but we should
still abide by it: If the deal sounds too good
to be true, it probably is!
Related link: Press
release
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