Home removal company scams happen. They are no urban myth.
In fact, we have written many times on how to protect yourself from a removal company scam.
It is why this very website was created, to help stop the bad and untrustworthy removal companies out there from ripping off the public, and so that you, the public, could share your home moving experiences with others.
Here we will share with you one family’s heartbreaking but true story of how their entire life’s possessions, every treasured and irreplaceable item they owned, was stolen.
Whilst the names of the victims have been changed, this is a true story. We are publishing it in the hope that more victims come forward to the Police, that this company can be stopped and hopefully the items returned to their rightful owners.
And equally importantly that nobody else falls victim to such a scam.
Bob and his family were looking forward to their new life in their new home, the packing was well underway and moving day was fast approaching.
But the home move that should have been the beginning of a new dream life soon turned into a living nightmare.
It is November 2018, the home moving preparations are going to plan, but Bob needs more packing boxes. So he goes off to the local storage unit which sells packing materials.
Whilst he collects his moving boxes from the local storage unit, he is recommended a removal company.
What could be better than someone who is obviously in the home moving industry recommending a good local removal company? So the recommended removal company was booked.
Although at this time we have been unable to confirm that it was actually this company who carried out the removal, as is often the case with removal company scams, the work is contracted out.
Come moving day, everything is packed and the family is waiting eagerly to move out and start their new life.
A moving crew of two men and a woman turn up at the house in an unliveried removal van. The removal van is very quickly loaded with every possession that the family owns, right down to dustpans and brushes. Every photo, every keepsake, every piece of furniture, every item of clothing, every single item the family owns is on that van.
Most of those items the family will never see again.
Just imagine that for a moment. Every single item you have collected and worked so hard to acquire, gone.
The plan was that the items would be taken to the storage unit before being moved at a later date to the new home.
However, it was soon evident that many items never reached the storage unit.
At this time the Police were alerted to the family’s plight, the investigation of which continues.
Sadly, they then discovered that more items were missing than previously thought. So Bob and his family arranged for the remaining items to be removed to another location by a reputable removal company.
But before the items could be moved, a tragic event occurred when the storage unit where the remainder of the family’s items were being stored burnt to the ground, and every last remaining item belonging to the family was lost forever.
Many many people lost their treasured possessions in that tragic fire and it was widely reported in the national media.
And now it has been reported that the victims of this fire will not be covered by their insurance.
Six months after the day they left their old home behind, Bob and his family are trying to rebuild their lives, but they have been left with absolutely nothing.
Have you been the victim of an alleged theft during your home move? Contact your Police station by calling 101, or report it online at www.online.met.police.uk.
Please, don’t be the next victim. As Bob says “these people are just burglars posing as a removal company”.
Remember: It is better to be paranoid than be a victim.
Read on to prevent you and your family being scammed by a removal company when moving home.
How to Spot a Removal Company Scam
5 Point Plan to Prevent Being Scammed by a Removal Company
- Get quotes from pre-vetted Removal Companies
- Check the physical location of the company
- Read removal company reviews and contact the reviewer
- Research everything you can about the removal company
- Get an in-home survey so that you can interview the removal company
Now let us see how different this story would have been using the above checks.
Using an online quote estimation service is a good way to find a reputable removal company. The best removal company quote estimation services will have pre-vetted the removal company to ensure that they are properly registered and insured with a good review rating.
Get a home removal quote from a reputable estimation service
In this case, the removal company was recommended, but not by a friend or family member or even social proof.
Was the removal company legitimate? A quick check would suggest so, they are registered as a legitimate business at Company House, although the address given in Covent Garden is for an online company registration agent.
That should have been the first red flag. A quick google search would have shown that the company did not have a brick and mortar office or depot.
Always do an online and physical check of the companies registered office.
Did the removal company have a website? Yes, a number of websites relating to different trades that they operate in (although at the time of writing this article the various different company websites were offline or reported the company as permanently closed) Red Flag number 2.
Always do a thorough online search for any removal company you intend to hire.
Did the removal company have good reviews? Well, they have 2 google reviews, one of which is a 5-star review posted by someone who just happens to be the registered owner of the company. The other review has no comments, just a 5-star rating.
Red flag number 3. There are absolutely no other home moving reviews we could find.
Read as many reviews as you can and contact those reviewers (the best review websites allow you to do this).
A reputable moving company will visit your home to complete an inventory of the things you want moving, this will enable them to give you an accurate price and to formulate a moving day plan.
Crucially it is your opportunity to interview the removal company. Ask as many questions as you can so that you can make an informed decision as to which removal company to hire.
Bob and his family lost everything in this removal company scam including all their family photos, financial documents, bank and credit card details, and security ID.
Please, DO NOT EVER trust anyone to take possession of such important things. Not only have Bob and his family lost their possessions, have the expense and inconvenience of replacing important documents but are open to the very real threat of identity theft.
When moving home pack one box that contains all your valuable and confidential paperwork, and small high-value items such as jewellery. Do not let it out of your sight on moving day and under no circumstances allow the box onto the removal company van, no matter how trustworthy you deem the removal company to be.
Please take the time to read the guides we have written to help prevent this kind of theft happening.
Share them will all your friends and family. If we can prevent just one more family from going through the absolute nightmare that Bob and his family have endured it will surely be worth it.
One Piece of Home Moving Advice you Ignore at your own Peril
How to Avoid a Removal Company Scam
A Guide to Making Home Moving Reviews Work for You
There are many more guides to help make your home move safe and stress-free in our home moving blog section. If you are moving home, please, please take the time to read them.
*It should be noted that these allegations are under investigation and no charges have been made as yet. Due to the ongoing Police investigation, we have been advised not to publish the Removal Company name at this time.
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