Your best defense is to recognize a rogue mover before they have your goods. Here are the "red flags" to look out for:

• Call the United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) at 202-366-4000, and give them the moving company's US DOT # and MC #... ask how many federal violations the has and how may consumer complaints have been filed against them. http://www.dot.gov/
• Access the Safety And Fitness Electronic Records System (SAFER) and research the company Data at: http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/CompanySnapshot.aspx
• Contact the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in the same city that the company is located and ask how may consumer complaints have been filed against them. http://www.bbb.org/
• Search you favorite online search engine for the moving company's name and for "reviews". read all the reviews you can find about them.
• The mover doesn't offer or agree to an on-site inspection of your household goods and gives an estimate over the phone or Internet—sight-unseen. These estimates often sound too good-to-be-true. They usually are.
• The moving company demands cash or a large deposit before the move.
• The mover doesn't provide you with a copy of "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move," a booklet movers are required by Federal regulations to supply to their customers in the planning stages of interstate moves.
• The company's Web site has no local address and no information about licensing or insurance.
• The mover claims all goods are covered by their insurance.
• When you call the mover, the telephone is answered with a generic "Movers" or "Moving company," rather than the company's name.
• Offices and warehouse are in poor condition or nonexistent.
• On moving day, a rental truck arrives rather than a company-owned and marked fleet truck
• On moving day, the price to move is doubled or tripled. If this happens, you should ask the movers to leave, and call a different moving company.