Senate Commerce Seeks Internet Firms' Help in Combating Moving Scams

The chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee is seeking the help of Internet search engines in trying to combat unscrupulous online moving brokers that his panel says are trying to "game" search results to reach potential customers. Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) reached out to Google, Microsoft and Yahoo as part of the committee's investigation into Internet moving brokers.

In a staff report, the committee found that some moving brokers, many of which use the Internet to reach consumers, lure potential customers with low-priced bids for moving services, but often fail to note that the binding "deposits" consumers provide actually go to cover the brokers' fees. As a result, consumers are often left paying hundreds or thousands of dollars in additional fees to the companies that actually show up to move their stuff. The movers will sometimes hold their belongings hostage if they refuse to pay up, the investigation found. In letters to Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, Chairman Rockefeller said it appeared many of the Internet brokers were trying to manipulate search engine results so their websites rise to the top of search rankings