The Oxford Police Department is warning residents of a moving scam. They gave several tips to help residents avoid being scammed.

• Check with the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) to check if a company is reputable.
• Always get a written estimate: Companies will deliberately low-ball their estimate to lure customers and then withhold customers’ goods unless they pay an amount significantly more than the quoted price. Especially if the estimate was done sight unseen.
• Don’t trust Google and Facebook ratings alone. The companies will artificially inflate their ratings to attract business.
• The moving company does not accept credit cards and requires payments to be made by either postal money orders, direct wire transfers, or cash.
• On moving day, the truck driver or foreman will try to get you to sign blank documents. NEVER sign blank invoices.
• If storage is needed after pick-up, the moving company will only provide a vague location as opposed to an exact address of the storage facility. They will lease a storage unit in their name and refuse to give the customer back their belongings until they pay an inflated fee or will steal your customer’s property. If needed, ALWAYS rent a storage unit in YOUR name.
• The mover does not provide you with a copy of “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” from the FMCSA website.

Please be cautious of these types of scams.