Undercover sting catches illegal moving companies

WYCKOFF, NJ (WABC) -- You hire what you think is a reputable moving company to move your prized possessions. But what if the men who show up aren't legally allowed to do the move, or worse, they are ex-cons or sexual predators?

Those are just some of the frightening results that 7 On Your Side uncovered.

"Are you licensed as a mover in New Jersey?" Nina Pineda asked.

"Yeah, I have no idea," the mover said.

Well we have an idea. This mover isn't a licensed mover. He was caught red handed operating illegally.

The workman said he came from Philadelphia and expected to do a move within New Jersey. But instead, got stung in a consumer affairs sting.

"We get complaints about movers all the time," said New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs Commissioner, Steve Lee.

That's why, last fall, he sprung a trap to catch unlicensed movers. "We had our investigators posing as customers who need to get belongings out of storage," says Lee.

But when the vans showed, consumer affairs checks for a movers license. And New Jersey State Police checked whether their truck's safe.

That brings us to this mover from Lakewood. I asked the owner, if he was licensed, he assured me saying yes.

Consumer affairs says that's a lie. He, along with 19 other movers were caught operating without a license. All got fined, $2500. And when immigration officials checked the workers, "I know ICE made a number of arrests, including one individual who was convicted in the past of violent crime that was gang related," said Lee.

Lee says there's one simple way to avoid problems, call consumer affairs and check whether a company is licensed. Intrastate movers have to be licensed with the state. Inter-state moves are licensed by the federal DOT.

LIST OF MOVING COMPANIES BUSTED IN STING

AN Piano Moving Limited Liability Company - Wayne

Allen Transfer & Storage Co. - Mount Holly

Arrow Moving Systems Inc - Moonachie

B & D Movers - Milford, PA

Broad Street Movers, LLC d/b/a Deen Moving LLC - Philadelphia, PA

Chics Services Limited Liability Company - Frenchtown

Grimes7Grimes We Pack U Ship LLC - Toms River

Ironmen Movers Inc. - East Rutherford

Jovani's Moving LLC - North Bergen

MBD Moving and Storage II LLC - Lakewood

Move IQ LLC - Maple Shade

MoveOurStuff.com, Inc. - West Haverstraw, NY

Rolando Pozo t/a Pozo Moving and Storage - North Bergen

Santi Express, Inc. - Valley Cottage, NY

Schulgasser Bros. Moving L.L.C. - Passaic

Slattery Moving & Storage, Inc. - Nyack, NY

Timothy Maddox d/b/a Maddox Moving - Paterson

Vadzim Paplauski d/b/a Moving Solutions - Brooklyn, NY

Venita Roots t/a Carls Moving and Storage - West Deptford