Technology, especially social media have had significant contributions towards making businesses more efficient. But, they have also brought with them some of the greatest threats to legitimate business practices. Today, it is very easy for fraudsters to set up moving businesses online, with just a phone and hired truck. The president of the Canadian Association of Movers recently raised a red flag on the rapid increase in fraudulent moving companies across the country.
According to experts in the moving industry, more customers are falling prey to fraudulent moving companies on Facebook and Twitter, offering low cost moving services. Due to the increase on the use of these social media platforms, fraudsters have gained a way to easily con unsuspecting customers who find it more convenient to acquire moving services online. Such customers have fallen victims because, not many consider the idea of finding a more professional service provider outside of the internet.
Most of the complaints about fraudsters masquerading as movers in Canada have been received from Western Canada. The key tool that these fraudsters use to lure customers is their extremely lower prices. The moving quotations that these con movers offer to their customers are usually very cheap, making them a soft spot for not only individuals but, businesses as well. One of the setbacks of using these fraudulent moving companies is, customers usually end up paying more than the quoted prices before receiving their items.
Sometimes, the items are delivered with several damages, which also go without compensation. Those who have hired these fraudulent online moving companies have lost quite a lot. In fact, there are others who say, even after paying deposits for the required moving services well in advance as directed by the movers, the purported service providers never showed up. As if that is not enough, the movers also never return the money already paid for services not delivered.
Should we expect such trends in Singapore too?
This is a question whose answer you can already guess, considering the rapid increase in the use of social media across Singapore and the rest of the world today. The internet and social media have virtually carved the world into a village and, if this can happen in a country like Canada, it could never be any harder in Singapore. With just a small truck and a few people masquerading as handymen, one can easily start and grow a moving business online without detection by the authorities.
One of the ways to know such companies is, they usually charge much lower rates than full-fledged moving companies in Singapore. While the low-cost moving quotes offered by these social media movers might look like a sweet deal, they usually carry much bitter consequences. In fact, the overall costs of hiring fraudulent moving companies is often higher than expected. Imagine finding out later after the movers had left, that your precious furniture and electronics are broken. What even makes it much worse is, these movers are quite hard to trace.
Generally, anyone would love a lower price. But, why put your valuable possessions at risk just to save a few dollars?
How to tell a fraudulent moving company
Although social media is the main hunting ground for these fraudsters masquerading as movers, there are also legitimate moving companies on social media. And, this is one of the reasons it has not been very easy for many consumers to know the fraudsters. Basic knowledge about fraudulent social media movers can save you a lot of pain when hiring moving services. The following are some of the key attributes of fraudsters that you should keep in mind when seeking relocation services online;
Ridiculously lower prices
Moving services entail a series of activities including, packing, loading and offloading, transportation, unpacking, and storage among others. These activities do not only require a lot of effort and skills but, also equipment which do not come so cheap. As such, you should always be very cautious about a company that claims to offer quality moving services for an extremely small fee. Although a genuine mover can still offer moving services tailored to your budget, extremely low prices could mean, either their service delivery is poor or they do not even offer the services.
Lack of adequate info about the company
Since these fraudsters operate under the radar, they do not usually provide adequate information that can be used to identify them. A well-established moving company should at least have a functional website with clear information regarding their license or registration, contact details, location and even customer Testimonials. In fact, the company should never hesitate to even refer you to some of their previous clients. The company profile of an established mover should be readily available to all clients unless there is something they are hiding.
Sometimes, fraudsters can be smart and provide information similar to those of legitimate movers, making it hard for you to suspect them. However, you should not just look at the given information and assume it is right. Do a little research on your own to ascertain the truth about the given company profile. You can even call and ask them a few questions just to be sure of who you are dealing with.
Too enticing
The main goal of fraudsters is to make money from their suspects as quick as possible before they realize something is wrong. In fact, the operators of these fraudulent social media moving companies are usually very persistent, offering very impressive deals that seem too sweet to turn down. It is human nature that anyone can be easily convinced if there is a promise of something better than the usual one. Whenever you are hiring moving services online, always try to be vigilant on movers offering very sweet deals. Remember, when the deal is too good, think twice!
Finding the right moving company can be challenging but, you can easily avoid all that when you rely on Mover Singapore. We offer comprehensive moving services, with a guarantee of the ultimate solutions to all your relocation woes.