Phantom Move

In a phantom move, you pay a deposit and then the move evaporates. Sometimes the company simply disappears with the money. Other times it was never a moving company at all — a broker that collected your deposit and sold the job to whatever carrier would take it, with no accountability for who shows up or whether anyone does. The scam preys on the up-front deposit. Once a company has your money and no real obligation, the incentive to actually perform the move is gone. Vague delivery windows and missing licensing are part of the pattern: there is no FMCSA authority on file because there is no real operation behind the booking. Brokers are not inherently illegitimate — many arrange moves responsibly and are registered with the FMCSA. The danger is a company that hides its broker status, takes a large deposit, and cannot tell you which carrier will actually handle your goods. Never pay a large deposit for an interstate move — the norm is zero to twenty percent, not half up front. Verify the company's USDOT number in SAFER before booking, and confirm whether you are dealing with a carrier or a broker. Pay by credit card so you have chargeback protection if the move never materializes. If a company demands a wire transfer or cash app payment to 'lock' your date, treat that as a stop sign.