Report a rogue mover at nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov for the federal record, to your state Attorney General’s consumer protection division, and to the Better Business Bureau. Post factual reviews on Google, the BBB, and moving-specific forums. Complaint volume is how FMCSA decides which carriers and brokers to investigate, so a filed complaint does more than a review.
Most people who get scammed never report it. That gap between how often this happens and how often it is recorded is the operating margin of every rogue mover in the country.
Report first, review second
Reviews warn other consumers. Complaints create a record regulators act on. Do both, in that order.
| Where | What it does | Time |
|---|---|---|
| nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov | Permanent federal record, feeds enforcement targeting | ~15 min |
| State Attorney General | Jurisdiction over deceptive trade practices, can act faster | ~20 min |
| Better Business Bureau | Public, visible, often produces settlements | ~10 min |
| State mover regulator | Can suspend a licence, for intrastate moves | Varies |
| Google, review sites | Warns the next customer at the moment they are searching | ~5 min |
The federal complaint
Go to nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov. It takes about fifteen minutes with your documents ready.
Two things that make a complaint land:
File against both companies. If a broker booked the job and a carrier performed it, those are separate registered entities with separate records. Do not let either one convince you the other is solely responsible.
Use the language of the regulations. Rather than “they charged me way too much,” write what rule was broken. “The carrier refused to release the shipment after payment of 110% of the non-binding estimate.” “The estimate was priced by cubic feet and marked non-binding.” Those phrasings map to actual violations.
Be realistic about what follows. FMCSA cannot settle your dispute or order the mover to pay. What it does is build the record, and Operation Protect Your Move specifically targets carriers and brokers with the worst complaint histories.
Your state Attorney General
Often faster than federal action, and with jurisdiction over deceptive trade practices regardless of whether your state licenses movers.
File in your own state, and also in the state where the company is registered if it differs. You can find that on the FMCSA record.
For a move entirely within one state, this is your primary route, since FMCSA does not regulate intrastate moves.
Writing a review that actually helps
Most negative reviews are useless to the next person because they are all emotion and no specifics. The ones that protect people read like evidence.
Include the facts that identify the company
The legal name and the USDOT number, not just the brand. Rogue operators rebrand constantly, and the USDOT number is what follows them.
Describe the tactic, not the feeling
“Terrible company, avoid” helps nobody. “Quoted $3,200 by cubic feet, marked non-binding, then demanded $6,800 after loading” tells the next reader exactly what to watch for.
Include dates and amounts
Specifics make a review credible and hard to dismiss as a competitor attack.
Stick to what happened
Say what you experienced and what your documents show. Avoid speculation about motives, personal remarks about individuals, or accusations of crimes you cannot substantiate.
That is not only fairer, it protects you. Businesses do sometimes pursue reviewers, and factual accounts of your own experience are far safer ground than characterizations.
Where to post
- Google Business Profile. The most visible place, because it shows at the moment someone searches the company
- Better Business Bureau. Doubles as a complaint, and companies often respond to protect their rating
- Yelp
- Moving-specific forums and communities, where people research before booking
- Reddit, particularly r/moving, where people ask about specific companies
One caution on Google: some rogue operators have no listing, or run several under different names. Check the USDOT number rather than trusting the name on the listing.
If the company has vanished
File anyway. A complaint against a company that no longer answers its phone still lands on the registration, and registrations follow the operators when they re-form under new names.
To find them: the USDOT number at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov gives you the legal entity, and your state’s corporate registry gives you the registered agent, who is legally required to accept documents.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I report a rogue moving company?
File at nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov for interstate moves, with your state Attorney General’s consumer protection division, and with the Better Business Bureau. For intrastate moves, file with your state regulator and Attorney General.
Does filing a complaint actually do anything?
It creates a permanent record on the company’s registration and feeds the data FMCSA uses to select investigation targets. It does not recover your money, which comes through a chargeback, a claim, arbitration, or court.
Should I report the broker or the carrier?
Both, if both were involved. They are separately registered entities with separate complaint records and their conduct is assessed separately.
Where should I post a review to warn other people?
Google, the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, moving forums, and Reddit. Include the legal company name and USDOT number, since rogue operators rebrand frequently.
What should a useful negative review include?
The company’s legal name and USDOT number, dates, amounts, and a plain description of the tactic used. Stick to what happened and what your documents show rather than speculation.
Related reading
- How to file a complaint with the FMCSA
- How to spot fake moving company reviews
- How to track down a mover that stopped answering
- Who regulates local movers inside one state?
- How to write a demand letter to a moving company
Get the full playbook
Moving Scam Secrets is the complete field guide, written from twenty years inside the industry. It covers the documentation that wins claims, the complaint language that gets attention, and the pressure points that get moving companies to settle.