Bills with bipartisan support in both houses of Congress address the problem of fraud perpetrated by household goods haulers.
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Mike Ezell (R-MS) recently announced they will reintroduce a bill to equip the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration with the necessary tools to protect consumers from fraud perpetrated by scammers in the interstate transportation of household goods.
The bill was written to address a growing type of fraud involving entities that charge an up-front fee, pack and hold consumers’ household goods, then demand more funds to deliver or release the items, according to a statement from the lawmakers. The companies involved have launched websites with fake 5-star reviews, and when negative reviews are submitted, the scammers simply close down the existing companies and open new ones, repeating the original scheme under a new FMCSA license. Last Congress, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed the bill by a vote of 62-2. U.S. Senators Deb Fischer and Tammy Duckworth are introducing the Senate companion bill.
The bill has been endorsed by the Transportation Intermediaries Association American Trucking Associations’ Moving & Storage Conference, Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association, the National Association of Small Trucking Companies, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, Institute for Safer Trucking, and Road Safe America.
“Shipping fraud is among the most frequent complaints FMCSA receives,” Norton said. “This bill would provide FMCSA with explicit authority to assess civil penalties for violations of commercial regulations, and crucially, to withhold registration from applicants failing to provide verification details demonstrating they intend to operate legitimate businesses. Americans moving across state lines need to be able to have confidence in FMCSA-licensed companies transporting their physical belongings, and I’m proud to introduce this bill with Rep. Ezell to strengthen protections, and I thank my colleagues, Senators Fischer and Duckworth for leading this bill in the senate.”
“When individuals and families begin the stressful process of relocating, the last thing they should have to worry about is being exploited by unscrupulous companies charging exorbitant rates and holding their household goods hostage,” said American Trucking Associations’ Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs Henry Hanscom and Moving & Storage Conference Executive Director Dan Hilton. “We commend Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton and Mike Ezell for taking action to help prevent consumers from becoming victims of moving fraud and protect the reputations of legitimate moving and storage companies and their hardworking employees.”
Credit: Source link
