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A noted rise in the amount of moving scams targeting those looking to move East, with the Better Business Bureau confirming some scammers have loaded people’s belongings on trucks, only to hold it all for a hefty ransom.
The scam singles out victims who can’t allow movers into their home to verify shipment sizes, a common problem during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Better Business Bureau, (BBB) and the Canadian Association of Movers, (CAM) released a joint update concerning what both groups call “fraudulent moving companies having been identified and purposely underestimating moving quotes for consumers” adding the scams are particularly prevalent in cross-provincial moves from Ontario to the Atlantic Provinces.
Moving Scams Target Cross-Province Moves country94.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from country94.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Oranizations provide tips for moving safely during the pandemic
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The Canadian Association of Movers (CAM) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) have begun a collaborative effort to ensure consumers know how to safely pack up and move during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Order moving supplies early
This means buying your boxes or bags ahead of time. Things such as tape, furniture sliders, and ratchets should also be bought prior to the move.
The average three-bedroom home will require between 80-100 boxes to move.
Ensure you have enough boxes to move
If you run out of boxes, it is recommended that alternatives are found (e.g laundry baskets, kitchen pots, etc). For smaller items, padding is recommended.
But Nancy Irvine says it s worsened during the pandemic because movers aren t going into homes to offer quotes– leaving an opening for fraudsters. A lot of scammers will just say here is our price, we can t come to see you, we ll show up at this date, and then they show up and the scam begins, she said. They start with their stories of how you have more things than you told us you were going to have and they come up with all these excuses.
Irvine says the amount sometimes ends up being $1000s over what was first quoted, and some people give up on getting their property back.