ALICIA. ALL RIGHT SHANE THANK YOU. WELL, IT IS A COMMON SCAM HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA WITH THOUSANDS OF VICTIMS, SO-CALLED MOVING COMPANIES THAT USE BAIT AND SWITCH TACTICS AND HOLD YOUR BELONGINGS HOSTAGE UNTIL YOU PAY. TONIGHT, OUR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, TERRI PARKER, HAS STARTED LOOKING INTO ONE COMPANY WITH SCORES OF COMPLAINTS THROUGHOUT FLORIDA. AND, TERRY, YOU JUST INTERVIEWED A SENIOR IN PALM SPRINGS WHO LOST HER LIFE SAVINGS. I DID. FELICIA. SHE’S TRYING DESPERATELY TO GET THAT MONEY BACK, BUT EXPERTS TELL ME IT’S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE THE SCAMMERS DISAPPEAR AND START OVER AS NEW COMPANIES. IN FACT, THIS COMPANY’S REAL NAME AND PEOPLE RUNNING IT ARE SO HARD TO PIN DOWN. I’M NOT NAMING THEM FOR NOW. THIS COMPANY. PLEASE PEOPLE, PLEASE, I’M BEGGING YOU. THEY’RE SCAMMERS. YOU. I MEAN, THEY TAKE ALL YOUR MONEY. THIS IS THE BEDROOM. THE WAY THE MOVERS LEFT IT. IT’S A MOVING COMPANY. HORROR STORY IN JULY, ROSE MARIE DE TOLA HIRED A FORT LAUDERDALE COMPANY. SHE FOUND ON FACEBOOK THAT AGREED TO MOVE EVERYTHING IN HER SMALL PALM SPRINGS APARTMENT TO ANOTHER BUILDING LESS THAN A MILE AWAY. THE PRICE, $427. BUT ON MOVING DAY, THE MOVERS REFUSED TO UNLOAD THE TRUCK UNLESS ROSE FORKED OVER A LOT MORE. MIAMI WAS. YOU OWE US $4,400. I WAS DEVASTATED. I’M STILL CRYING ABOUT THIS. IS. WHAT DO YOU MEAN? EVERYTHING SHE OWNED, INCLUDING VITAL MEDICATIONS FOR HER. SERIOUS ILLNESSES, HELD HOSTAGE. ROSE CALLED THE COMPANY’S OFFICE IN DISBELIEF. THEY SENT ME A COPY OF THE INVOICE AND EVERYTHING. I’M LIKE, THERE’S NO WAY. WELL, IF YOU DON’T PAY IT, SHE SAYS, WE’RE TAKING YOUR FURNITURE BACK TO FORT LAUDERDALE AND TURN YOU $250 A DAY UNTIL IT’S ALL TOTALLY PAID OFF. I’M LIKE, THERE’S NO WAY, ROSE SAID. THE PERSON ON THE PHONE SAID, OKAY, TO BE NICE, WE’LL TAKE $2,200 IN CASH. SO WITH NO OTHER OPTION, ROSE SENT HER SON TO THE BANK TO RETRIEVE THE MONEY. I HAD LEFT, AND IT WAS $1,800. THAT WAS MY LIFE SAVINGS. THE MOVERS UNLOADED HER BELONGINGS, BUT THREW EVERYTHING INTO HER APARTMENT IN A GIANT PILES, BREAKING MUCH OF THE FURNITURE AND LEAVING THE MESS BEHIND. I COULDN’T EVEN GET ANYWHERE BECAUSE AS FAR AS I COULD GO, HEAVIER STUFF I CAN’T FIND. WHEN ROSE WENT ONLINE TO RESEARCH THE COMPANY, SHE FOUND DOZENS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS AGAINST THEM. UNFORTUNATELY, WE SEE A LOT OF SCAMS, ESPECIALLY IN THIS AREA, AND IT’S A LOT OF WHAT WE CALL HOLDING HOSTAGE AND BAIT AND SWITCH. CYNTHIA LAVIN OF THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU SAYS UNSCRUPULOUS MOVING COMPANIES ARE HARD TO CATCH BECAUSE OF AUTHORITIES SHUT THEM DOWN. THEY JUST OPENED ANOTHER COMPANY. THEY DISAPPEAR. THEY REALLY HAVE BEEN WORKING THE CIRCUIT OF THE SCAM AND THE THE UNREPUTABLE MOVING COMPANY FOR A LONG TIME. SO THEY DO THIS ALL OF THE TIME AND THEY KNOW HOW TO AVOID ACCOUNTABILITY AND HOW TO TAKE YOUR MONEY. I FOUND DISCONNECTED PHONES FOR DIFFERENT OFFICES AND SEVERAL DIFFERENT NAMES FOR THIS COMPANY. A PUZZLE FOR ANYONE TO PUT TOGETHER FOR ROSE. IT’S A NIGHTMARE. BUT SHE HAS ONE WISH. THEY’RE TAKING PEOPLE AND FAMILIES ALL THEIR MONEY. IT’S NOT RIGHT. THEY NEED TO BE STOPPED. THE BEST THING IS TO RESEARCH ANY MOVING COMPANY BEFOREHAND. IF THEY GIVE YOU A LOWBALL PRICE, IT’S LIKELY A SCAM. AND AS FAR AS THIS COMPANY, I HAVE STARTED DIGGING INTO THE MYSTERIOUS LLCS AND SHADOWY FIGURES BEHIND IT. AND ONCE I IDENTIFY AND CAN TALK TO THEM DIRECTLY, I’LL DO A FOLLOW UP INVESTIGATION. IN THE MEANTIME, GO WITH A MOVING COMPANY THAT’S REPUTABLE. SO ROSE’S NIGHTMARE DOESN’T HAPPEN TO YOU.
South Florida moving scam leaves Palm Springs senior out thousands as belongings held ‘hostage’
A Palm Springs woman says a Fort Lauderdale mover quoted $427, then demanded thousands more and threatened daily storage fees. Consumer experts say it fits a classic bait-and-switch and hostage-goods scheme.
Updated: 6:22 PM EDT Oct 23, 2025
It is a common scam in South Florida with thousands of victims: so-called moving companies that lure customers with low quotes, then hold their belongings until they pay much more.WPBF 25 Investigates has started looking into one company with scores of complaints across Florida. For now, we are not naming the company because the owner’s identity and the true legal entity remain unclear.Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 NewsRose Marie Ditolla says she hired a Fort Lauderdale mover she found on Facebook to take everything from her small Palm Springs apartment to another building less than a mile away. The written price, she says, was $427.”This company — please, people, please, I’m begging you. They’re scammers. They’ll take all your money,” Ditolla told WPBF 25 News investigative reporter Terri Parker.On moving day, Ditolla says the crew refused to unload unless she paid thousands more.Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.”‘Ma’am, you owe us $4,400.’ I was devastated. I’m still crying about it,” said Ditolla.Ditolla says the truck held everything she owned, including vital medications for serious illnesses. When she called the company office, she says the person on the phone threatened to drive her furniture back to Fort Lauderdale and charge daily fees if she did not pay.”I’m like, there’s no way. ‘Well, if you don’t pay, it says we’re taking the furniture back to Fort Lauderdale and charge you $250 a day until it’s all totally paid up.’ I’m like, there’s no way,” said Ditolla.She says the caller then offered a “deal.””OK, to be nice, we’ll take $2,200,” DiTolla recalls being told. She says they wanted cash.With no other option, she sent her son to the bank.”It was $1,800, my life’s savings,” she said, adding that she also paid additional cash to reach the amount the movers demanded.The crew eventually unloaded, but Ditolla says they dumped her belongings in giant piles, broke furniture, and left the mess behind.When she began searching online, Ditolla found dozens of similar complaints about the company and multiple addresses that did not add up.”Unfortunately, we see a lot of moving scams, especially in this area. And it’s a lot of what we call holding hostage and bait and switch,” said Cinthya Lavin, of the Better Business Bureau.Lavin says these operators are hard to stop.”They disappear. They really have been working the circuit of the scam and the reputable moving company for a long time. So they do this all of the time, and they know how to avoid accountability and how to take your money,” said Lavin.Parker found disconnected phone numbers, four different “offices,” and several different names tied to the outfit Ditolla hired. It is a puzzle even seasoned investigators are working to piece together.”They’re taking people and families — all their money. It’s not right. It’s not right. They need to be stopped,” Ditolla said. WHAT YOU CAN DO:• Get the mover’s legal business name, physical warehouse address, and Florida registration number before you book.• For moves inside Florida, ask for the company’s Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services registration.• For state-to-state moves, ask for the USDOT and MC numbers and verify them on federal databases.• Be wary of very low quotes, big cash demands on delivery, and threats of daily storage fees.• Pay with a method that leaves a trail, not cash.Parker has begun tracing the company’s corporate filings and the people behind the LLC. Once those identities can be verified and the company is given a chance to respond, we will publish a follow-up investigation.Top Videos:Python Cowboy says tree stand facing Air Force One’s runway may have been there for two years’I’m going to miss everything about him’: West Palm Beach father grieves son killed by gunfireThree middle school students hospitalized after consuming THC gummies
PALM SPRINGS, Fla. —
It is a common scam in South Florida with thousands of victims: so-called moving companies that lure customers with low quotes, then hold their belongings until they pay much more.
WPBF 25 Investigates has started looking into one company with scores of complaints across Florida. For now, we are not naming the company because the owner’s identity and the true legal entity remain unclear.
Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News
Rose Marie Ditolla says she hired a Fort Lauderdale mover she found on Facebook to take everything from her small Palm Springs apartment to another building less than a mile away. The written price, she says, was $427.
“This company — please, people, please, I’m begging you. They’re scammers. They’ll take all your money,” Ditolla told WPBF 25 News investigative reporter Terri Parker.
On moving day, Ditolla says the crew refused to unload unless she paid thousands more.
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
“‘Ma’am, you owe us $4,400.’ I was devastated. I’m still crying about it,” said Ditolla.
Ditolla says the truck held everything she owned, including vital medications for serious illnesses. When she called the company office, she says the person on the phone threatened to drive her furniture back to Fort Lauderdale and charge daily fees if she did not pay.
“I’m like, there’s no way. ‘Well, if you don’t pay, it says we’re taking the furniture back to Fort Lauderdale and charge you $250 a day until it’s all totally paid up.’ I’m like, there’s no way,” said Ditolla.
She says the caller then offered a “deal.”
“OK, to be nice, we’ll take $2,200,” DiTolla recalls being told. She says they wanted cash.
With no other option, she sent her son to the bank.
“It was $1,800, my life’s savings,” she said, adding that she also paid additional cash to reach the amount the movers demanded.
The crew eventually unloaded, but Ditolla says they dumped her belongings in giant piles, broke furniture, and left the mess behind.
When she began searching online, Ditolla found dozens of similar complaints about the company and multiple addresses that did not add up.
“Unfortunately, we see a lot of moving scams, especially in this area. And it’s a lot of what we call holding hostage and bait and switch,” said Cinthya Lavin, of the Better Business Bureau.
Lavin says these operators are hard to stop.
“They disappear. They really have been working the circuit of the scam and the reputable moving company for a long time. So they do this all of the time, and they know how to avoid accountability and how to take your money,” said Lavin.
Parker found disconnected phone numbers, four different “offices,” and several different names tied to the outfit Ditolla hired. It is a puzzle even seasoned investigators are working to piece together.
“They’re taking people and families — all their money. It’s not right. It’s not right. They need to be stopped,” Ditolla said.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
• Get the mover’s legal business name, physical warehouse address, and Florida registration number before you book.
• For moves inside Florida, ask for the company’s Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services registration.
• For state-to-state moves, ask for the USDOT and MC numbers and verify them on federal databases.
• Be wary of very low quotes, big cash demands on delivery, and threats of daily storage fees.
• Pay with a method that leaves a trail, not cash.
Parker has begun tracing the company’s corporate filings and the people behind the LLC. Once those identities can be verified and the company is given a chance to respond, we will publish a follow-up investigation.
Top Videos:
Python Cowboy says tree stand facing Air Force One’s runway may have been there for two years
‘I’m going to miss everything about him’: West Palm Beach father grieves son killed by gunfire
Three middle school students hospitalized after consuming THC gummies