National moving month is here and that means that it’s also national scammers’ month.

While it’s the best time of year to move to a new home, its also one of the the best times of the year for scammers. Fortunately, our friends at the Better Business Bureau are back to tell us what to what to watch out for if you’re moving now.

When it comes to moving, you will have to make a choice of doing it all yourself, or hiring a moving company. In many cases, it’s easy enough to rent a truck and do everything yourself or with the help of some friends or family. For many others, hiring a moving company is an effective and necessary step in making the moving process better. Should you choose to move everything yourself, you just need to factor in the time, energy, and lighter expenses you might incur (gas, renting a truck, etc.).

One of the most common moving scams is the one where you talk to a company, get a quote, and pay a deposit. When the time comes for the moving company to show up, they just don’t show up and they are nowhere to be found, and neither is your deposit. Pretty simple, right? While this scam is straightforward enough, knowing how to avoid it isn’t necessarily so easy.

Another common moving scam involves a quote based on weight. Once the movers weigh and package everything, they will then inflate the weight to whatever figure they see fit, give you a fake apology, and expect you to pay them for twice as much work as they actually did.

Lastly, the most brazen scam is one where the movers DO quote you, and DO show up on time ready for work. From here they do everything that they’re supposed to do, except instead of transporting your belongings to your new home, they will just take off with your belongings or hold them hostage. Once they hold your belongings hostage, they will usually wait for you to pay them even more money before giving it back to you.

In any of these cases, you need to remember that if you hire an illegal moving company, you have little recourse should anything go wrong. It is your responsibility to do your research, request an estimate, get it in writing, and work with a legitimate moving company.