📪 HH #71: 🚨 nationwide dumpster rental scam alert
- Justin Hubbard
- Mar 9
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 29
If you run a dumpster rental company—or any home service business that takes online payments—this scam is something you NEED to be aware of. It’s been happening all over the country, and it’s costing haulers thousands of dollars per hit.
It’s happened to me multiple times. It’s happened to plenty of other haulers I know. And it’s only getting worse.
Here’s how it works 👇
The Scam
A scammer sets up a fake dumpster rental business on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or other online platforms.
A customer—who is completely unaware this is a scam—rents a dumpster from them and pays via Zelle, Venmo, or another non-refundable payment method.
The scammer then takes a stolen credit card and orders a dumpster from a real dumpster company (like mine, or yours).
The real dumpster company delivers the container to the customer, completely unaware that fraud is happening.
The customer is happy. They got what they paid for. The scammer is happy. They got paid.
But then—the rightful owner of the stolen credit card sees the charge, reports fraud, and gets their money back through a chargeback.
The dumpster company gets hit with a massive loss—not only do we lose the entire rental amount, but we also lose the costs associated with the delivery, the tipping fees, and all the labor involved.
Once the fraud is detected, the dumpster has already been filled, dumped, and gone. There’s no way to recover the money.
It’s a perfect crime in many ways because the scammer disappears completely, and the only people left holding the bag are us—the haulers.
And here’s the worst part:
banks won’t side with us.
The card was stolen.
It’s fraud.
The person who had their card stolen gets their money back (as they should), but the service provider loses everything.
This isn’t just happening once or twice—it’s happening over and over again to haulers nationwide. And if you aren’t watching for it, it could happen to you.
🚩 Red Flags: How to Spot the Scam Before It’s Too Late
Haulers across the industry have been comparing notes, and here are some clear warning signs that might indicate you’re dealing with a scammer:
✅ Mostly communicates through text.They rarely call. They don’t want to be on the phone. It’s almost always text messages.
✅ Poor English or odd phrasing.Not always, but scammers are often overseas or working off a script. The wording may feel off.
✅ They are NOT the homeowner.They’ll say they’re “coordinating for someone else” or “handling it for the owner.”
✅ Rush orders & same-day requests.These scammers often request small dumpsters (10 or 15-yarders) and need them ASAP. They want the deal done before you can verify anything.
✅ The credit card doesn’t match anything.
The name on the card doesn’t match the name on the order.
The email name is different.
The name of the person on-site is different.
✅ The credit card is out of state.Many times, it’s a card from a completely different state than where the dumpster is being delivered.
✅ Multiple card declines before success.They’ll try one card—it gets declined. Then, suddenly, they have a “new” card that works.
💬 What Other Haulers Are Saying
This isn’t just happening to me. This is happening to haulers all over the country. Here’s what others have experienced:
📢 "We’ve avoided it many times by seeking additional verification on suspicious orders. Get a site contact. Ask them if they’ve already paid someone else for the rental. If they have, ask how they paid and who they paid. Usually, it’s some ridiculously cheap rate that doesn’t make sense for the area."
📢 "If I get sketchy vibes, I ask for a picture of their license and credit card. They usually hang up after that."
📢 "The people you drop the dumpster off to are innocent. The person whose card was stolen is innocent. But we—the haulers—are the ONLY ones who lose. We’ve spent real money delivering, real money tipping, and real money on labor. We take the full hit."
📢 "My admin team caught some of these red flags, and even though the name didn’t match the credit card, the processor STILL approved the charge. We fought them on it. Didn’t matter. They put it through, and we got burned."
⚠️ How to Protect Yourself: Prevention is the Only Defense
Since banks and credit card processors won’t protect us, we have to protect ourselves.
Here’s how 👇
✔️ Verify the Customer.Ask for an ID. Confirm homeownership. Match the name on the card to the name on the order.
✔️ Call, Don’t Just Text.Scammers don’t like phone calls. A quick call can reveal a lot.
✔️ Trust Your Gut.If something feels off, it probably is. If they push back on simple verification steps, that’s a red flag.
✔️ Watch for Cheap Pricing.If a customer says they paid another hauler but the price sounds way too low for your area, that’s a red flag.
✔️ Look for Payment Inconsistencies.Does the name match across the credit card, phone number, and email? If not, be careful.
✔️ Require Extra Verification for Last-Minute Orders.Scammers want to rush the deal before you have time to verify anything. Slow them down and check everything.
📢 Share This With Other Haulers
This scam isn’t going away anytime soon. The scammers are getting better. They’re evolving. And unless we work together to spread the word, more haulers will get burned.
If you’ve been hit by this scam—or almost got scammed—hit reply and let me know. The more we share info, the harder we make it for them to win.
Stay sharp, trust your instincts, and keep your head on a swivel.✌️
Justin Hubbard
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