FLORIDA— Attorney General Ashley Moody has announced that her office is taking action to shut down an alleged large-scale Florida moving service scam.
Moody said her office is taking legal action against three individuals, two holding companies, and multiple alleged fraudulent moving brokerage businesses doing business under a variety of names, including Gold Standard Moving and Storage.
According to Moody’s consumer protection investigation, the businesses acted as a common enterprise to deceive more than 400 Floridians into believing the company professionally handled moving services and promised to provide refunds if anything went wrong. Instead, the companies reportedly hired third parties to complete the moving services at subpar quality and purportedly refused to provide refunds, Moody said.
“The defendants promised top-quality moving services but instead provided shoddy work, higher-than-advertised prices, and loads of headaches for people simply trying to relocate,” said Moody.
“We are taking legal action to shut down this moving scam and recover funds for the hundreds of consumers harmed by this company’s deceptive practices.”
At various times, Gold Standard and the other defendants reportedly held out to consumers as Executive Van Lines, Imperial Moving Group, National American Van Lines, Razor Van Lines, Simple Path Moving, Spartan Moving and Storage, United American Moving, and Us Pro Moving and Logistics—allegedly often changing names to dodge bad reviews.
According to Moody’s complaint, the companies advertised top-quality moving services to consumers and claimed to complete the moving process with in-house professionals. After consumers paid large upfront fees required by the company, third-party movers were employed instead of the professionals promised, Moody said.
Reportedly, these third-party contractors often tried negotiating new prices—even though the consumer had already signed an agreement at a specified price. Reports from consumers described the third-party movers as unprofessional, often driving unmarked moving trucks or those available to the public for rent, Moody’s statement said. The defendants also allegedly claimed to offer refunds for unhappy customers but reportedly never paid the refunds.
To view the complaint, click here.
Anyone who experiences a moving scam should contact the Florida Attorney General’s Office by visiting MyFloridaLegal.com or calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM.
