The moving industry has been under fire the past two years, as rogue moving companies are popping up not only across the nation, but across the world. A rogue mover is a moving company that does not actually exist or is not a legitimate, licensed, and certified mover. Recent tips from the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have told consumers to read the reviews and do as much online research on moving companies as possible before hiring one. However, a couple in England would become the prime example of why all of those tips may not be enough.

Becky Szenck, her fiancé Mark Higgins, and their seven-month-old Ariyah were looking to move from an apartment into their new home roughly 20 minutes away. They went online and read 30-40 reviews on a local moving company – one that even their friends recommended on Facebook. On the day of their move, the movers showed up and swiftly loaded all of their belongings onto their moving truck. During the process, the movers had told the couple to label their boxes as best as they could – a tip that the majority of moving companies recommend so that it makes unpacking easier. However, the couple quickly learned that the movers had them label the boxes so that they could take the more expensive items first, and never come back. The couple never saw their belongings again and it totaled around $15,000 in goods.

All My Sons Moving & Storage is a top local moving company in Pittsburgh and hopes that this never happens to any family moving to or from Pittsburgh. So, All My Sons and the FMCSA recommend that you always go online and check a moving company’s credentials – their legal credentials such as licensing, US DOT number, MC number, and insurance information. Also make sure that when hiring a Pittsburgh mover to never sign any documents that are blank or do not come with a legal Bill of Lading/Tariff.