A Toronto lawyer and the Canadian Association of Movers say “moving scams” are making a comeback, while police increasingly dismiss cases as civil disputes.
lex Fox and her partner Max Hill spent more than a year consumed by moving boxes — first packing for a cross-country relocation, then fighting to get their belongings back after falling victim to what they describe as a moving scam.
The couple said the company they hired suddenly inflated the quoted weight of their goods and the final bill by thousands of dollars. When they refused to pay the extra $3,000, the company withheld their possessions. It was only after hiring a lawyer and a second moving firm that they managed to retrieve their belongings.
Toronto lawyer Rocco Scocco, who specializes in moving scam cases, said the number of complaints dropped after a 2022 police crackdown in Toronto but have been climbing again. He argues that fraudsters have returned under new company names and are emboldened by the lack of criminal enforcement.
“What we’ve seen in the last year is that there are companies that are now re-emerging with new names, and running the same old scam,” Scocco said. “The crack that is really giving these companies the success is that police aren’t doing any enforcement.”
The Canadian Association of Movers echoed that concern. Its president, Nancy Irvine, said police forces that once took a leadership role have largely shifted to labeling such complaints as civil matters.
Fox and Hill said Peel Regional Police declined to intervene in their case, despite the couple tracking their belongings with an Apple AirTag. Police said in a statement that whether an incident is criminal or civil depends on the specific facts presented.
The couple eventually recovered their goods, but not before the ordeal doubled their moving budget from $8,000 to nearly $15,000. They say their experience shows how consumers can be left vulnerable when moving companies inflate charges, delay deliveries, or threaten lawsuits.
