DUNEDIN, Fla. — Shifting scams have change into so widespread in current occasions that the US Division of Transportation has taken discover and is now actively cracking down on rogue movers.

One sufferer of such a rip-off is Paula Hurst, who had deliberate her retirement transfer from Colorado to her new townhouse in Dunedin all the way down to the final element.

She had even designated the place her grandmother’s vintage dresser and her vintage glass bottles could be positioned.

Sadly, her townhome was not prepared when she arrived in Dunedin over a 12 months in the past, and the movers needed to put her objects in storage in Daytona Seashore.

In accordance with Hurst, she gave the movers a down cost of $3,500 and paid $225 month-to-month for storage for over a 12 months, which amounted to a complete of $6,000-$7,000.

However to her disappointment, none of her belongings ever arrived, and the movers have since ignored her telephone calls.

“What I’m not lacking is my jewellery, my vital papers, and my fragile objects. However the remainder of my life is lacking,” stated Hurst. “A four-bedroom home, beds, dressers.”

Hurst’s case isn’t an remoted one. In 2022, the US Division of Transportation obtained over 7,500 complaints in opposition to shifting firms and brokers.

Florida is reportedly the point of interest of the issue, accounting for half of all complaints.

In accordance with US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, his division is partnering with native legislation enforcement businesses to make sure that these dangerous actors are delivered to e-book.

“We will then use that proof in revoking the licenses of those dangerous actors and we’re additionally partnering with native legislation enforcement the place it’s acceptable on the bottom to verify they’re in a position to do their enforcement work,” he stated.

In the meantime, Hurst advises others to do their analysis earlier than entrusting their belongings to any shifting firm.