Georgia is among the top ten states for moving fraud complaints filed with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The FMCSA received more than forty-one hundred moving fraud complaints last year.

Summer is traditionally peak moving season and Lori Silverman in Clark Howard's Consumer Action Center says they are starting to answer moving issue calls already. "There is an up-tick usually this time of year because there's a lot of people moving," says Silverman.

In 2017, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) received over 6,000 complaints against moving companies. Silverman says, "furniture being held hostage is a big one."

Here how the hostage situation works – After receiving payment and picking up your contents, the scammers move the goods to a different location and threaten to withhold them until they receive additional payment from you.

Other complaint include the company getting a deposit then disappearing with the money, adding on fees and then the worst of all- taking your money, your belongings and disappearing.

If you are moving make sure you get a binding estimate, take inventory of all your belongings and ask friends and family for recommendations.