11/29/2022
FRAUD ALERT!!!
It has come to our attention that loads are being booked under our carrier MC number without our knowledge or authorization.
We suspect their scam is to pick up and steal the freight.
We have unfortunately had calls from several well-known brokerages asking for POD's for loads we never booked.
Our impeccable reputation is of utmost importance to us, and we value each of you as our customers and do not want to see you fall victim.
We have reported this to our local law enforcement agency and USDOT Office of the Inspector General.
If you believe that you may have been affected by this, please reach out to us.
As a reminder, ALL RATE CONFIRMATIONS MUST ONLY BE SENT TO: [email protected]
While a Gmail address is not ideal, this is the same email address we have used since 2012. It should be the ONLY email address you have on file for us to send rate confirmations to.
We do use [email protected] for invoicing.
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As you may know, we also operate a freight brokerage. I know that this is happening with more carriers than just us, so it is extremely important that we all be on alert and take the time to perform due diligence.
As a freight broker, there are some best practices that you should follow to protect your company and your customer.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS IN OUR INDUSTRY!
1. When setting up or refreshing a new or unfamiliar carrier, confirm that you are working with the carrier you think you are working with by calling the phone number listed on FMCSA SAFER.
This is so important!!!
This is the only way that we can determine that we are speaking with the correct carrier.
Confirm the name, email address and phone number of the individual that you are dealing with to confirm that they do represent that carrier.
Here is the link:
https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/CompanySnapshot.aspx
2. Once you set up a carrier and have confirmed them, do NOT change or add contact information (phone numbers, email addresses, bank accounts) to their profile in your system without confirming it explicitly with your known contact information or the contact information listed on FMCSA SAFER for that carrier.
3. Rate confirmations should always be sent to your known and verified email addresses for that carrier.
Do not send a RC to any email address not already verified!
4. Teach shippers and receivers that you deal with to look closely at the truck picking up or delivering their shipment.
Remind the shipper that they are handing over thousands of dollars worth of goods, so they should take the time to confirm that the carrier and truck that you so carefully vetted is the one that they are releasing their product to.
Encourage them to ask the driver for their CDL, check the name and USDOT number on the truck, document or take a picture of the license plate and even the truck's VIN.
As the broker, you can ask for a schedule of vehicles and drivers and make sure the VIN is on the carrier's insurance policy. Legitimate carriers will provide cab cards, full driver names and actual driver's phone numbers.
We and our customers need to work together to tighten up our chain of custody procedures.
5. Take a minute to make sure that your contact information and especially your phone number is listed correctly on your FMCSA SAFER profile.
I have personally caught more than a few rate confirmations that supposedly came brokerages that we had an existing relationship with, but the email address was slightly different than what we normally received RCs from. A quick call to the number listed on SAFER for that brokerage allowed me to confirm or deny the validity of a load as being one of theirs.
If your phone number is wrong, rings to a phone that no one answers or is completely missing, how will a legitimate carrier reach you to confirm the accurancy of a load?! As these types of fraud increase, expect to see good carriers refusing to work with brokers that they cannot verify in this manner.
6. Use Carrier411.com as a resource! Ask for the carrier's MC number first and look them up on Carrier411. This will save you time and energy because you won't have to go over load details with a carrier that has already been reported by someone else for double brokering!
