[Heidi50]

Trucking companies, new entrants, brokers, and carriers alike have been reporting a lot of spam emails and misleading phone calls in addition to a lot of other attempts to loot them of their money. This trend seems to have taken over the entire country and is targeting the players and companies involved in the transport and logistics sector. There are numerous examples of dot compliance scams that come to the attention of authorities practically every day. Last year alone, phishing attacks on trucking companies amounted to nearly 43% of all online breaches resulting from scam emails.

This is to say that even the most monitored and controlled industry which is the transportation and logistics sector is not safe out there anymore. There are identity thieves, data breach companies, and hackers all over. Let's talk about a few scams perpetrated by these hackers and cyber criminals in the name of the department of transportation and the federal motor carrier safety administration:

Impersonating The US Department Of Transportation

The most frequently used trick in the book by these scammers and fraud companies is to impersonate the department of transportation or the federal motor carrier safety administration. They get in touch with trucking companies under the garb of informing or educating them about their compliance needs and deadlines. The most convincing part about their bid is that they time their correspondence with important announcements or developments that are made by the DOT or the FMCSA. Their timing is so perfect that the unsuspecting trucking company falls for their claims and marketing gimmicks. They end up signing up for newsletters, memberships, and subscriptions and get robbed of their hard and money.

These hackers send out messages and emails from a fake domain that appears to be something ending with "gov.in" but the vulnerable user fails to identify the latter part of the URL that probably ends with something like "jackpot.com" or "link aggregator.com".

A very effective way to prevent losing your money to such fraud companies is to have a closer look at their URL. You must also get their email address verified. If you are suspicious about any online form. do not fill in any of your company details. Also, if you have to fill in the CAPTCHA information, again and again, it is a definite sign that it is a scam in process.

Perpetrating Phishing Attacks On Unsuspecting Trucking Companies

These are emails that are aimed at commercial motor carriers and can do a lot of damage not only to their finances but their reputation as well. It is very important for you to protect your employees, associates, and partners from any such attacks. They might receive several phishing emails during your business. These emails contain authentic-looking forms that your employees and associates are encouraged to fill out. There is also an attached message with these forms that in the event your employees or associates fail to fill out this form before a given deadline, all your business licenses, permits, and authorizations will be canceled. This sends a shock wave of nervousness across your innocent and vulnerable staff members. The ones who are technologically less savvy, tend to fall for these games more easily.

Phishing emails are also a part of dot compliance scams. The only way to stay away from the damage that they cause is to verify the email address. If you don't want to share the information they seek from you, refrain from it. Remember not to give out your debit card or credit card details under any circumstances. Do not fill out any critical company-related information regardless of how many times they ask for it in the form. Be aware of your submission, renewal, and other important dates related to your compliance throughout the year.

The Rising Number Of Cases Of Frauds And Identity Thefts

If you thought that trucking companies were the only entities being targeted, you were wrong. There is a rising number of cases of fraud and identity theft involving brokers and individual carriers. Identity thefts occur when someone uses the assigned US DOT number of another individual unethically and when they are not authorized to do so. When you act as a broker but are not registered with the FMCSA, you will have committed a similar dot compliance scam as mentioned above. In case you suspect that your company has been a victim of any such criminal acts, the federal motor carrier safety administration tells you to do the following:

Report the incident with all its details to your local enforcement agency

You can also report this incident to the US Department Of Transportation and get in touch with the Office Of The Inspector General
File a complaint with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration National Consumer Complaint Database
Create social media awareness by creating informative posts regarding the same so that others do not fall prey to similar criminals
Get in touch with your insurance company, factoring companies, and your load boards, and let them know about the fraud committed against you
Make sure that your company information does not get out onto any media portal or exposed platform or any unauthorized website

The Target Of Confusing/Misleading Solicitations - New Entrant Applicants

Often the target of some of the most frequently shared, confusing, and misleading solicitations are new entrant applicants. The federal motor carrier safety administration warns them against believing any such information conveyed to them regardless of the platform or medium used. According to the FMCSA, you are not supposed to believe any services or sign up for any subscriptions or any memberships offered to you by unethical third-party administrators through USmail, email, telephone, or texts. If you are at the receiving end of aggressive marketing efforts and if you are being encouraged relentlessly to enroll in:

1.Random drug and alcohol supervisor training
2.Regulatory and compliance support
3.Unified carrier registration compliance
4.Biennial update
Say no to such dot compliance scam groups immediately.

Grant Scams In The Name Of The Government Or Federal Bodies

Another very popular way to scam people is to lure them in by offering them government grants and concessions from federal bodies. They are presented with an option of a "one-time processing fee". In return what they get is grant money directly into their account. The unsuspecting trucking company ends up sharing their account information which turns out to be a huge mistake.
The only way to stay away from such dot compliance scam groups is to know that there are no grants or remissions offered by the government or federal bodies. If any such monetary help is awarded, it is primarily for research projects that benefit the general public.

The Most Common Fraud - Telephone Scams

Telephone scams aim to collect your company information and also your personal account details. Some scammers also make calls with threats of lawsuits. It is best to avoid these calls and even better to report them immediately to your local enforcement agency.

Conclusion

Being in this industry it is always important to keep your eyes and ears open. You must be diligent all the time. The best approach is to associate with a dependable DOT compliance facilitator or third-party administrator. Look at their experience and the quality of their service before you sign any agreement with them. They are more than capable of keeping you compliant throughout the year.