Trucking scams are real; be aware of all these types of freight fraud.
Unfortunately, crime exists all over the world. One of the most common kinds of crime that happens today is fraud. It is possible that you have run across a scam; perhaps you got fake text messages, emails, phone calls, or letters asking you to send money or log into an account. Scams also happen in the trucking world. For instance, “moving trucks” might hold people’s furniture hostage. Check out these freight shipping scams and how to avoid them.
Freight Shipping Scams
Scammers Who Steal Fleet
Some scammers could pretend to be a legitimate trucking company or freight forwarder. They fake websites of real trucking companies and personas of actual trucking employees. These scammers could appear in person at shipping sites, online, or on the phone. Other types who steal freight will hitch up the trailer when the trucker is away and disappear. However, trailer tracking devices make this type of fraud rarer.
Scammers Who Hold Fleet for Ransom
Some people will pretend to be a company or professional they are not and hold the fleet for ransom, such as in the moving company example. They will demand a sum of money if you want your fleet back. These scammers often try to reel people in by offering absurdly low rates.
Scammers Who Double Book
There are also freight broker scams, in which a supposed broker will double book a load. They will schedule one trucker or trucking company to take a load but then book it with someone else without telling the other party. In this way, they will have taken payment without doing their job.
Scammers Who Withhold the Bill of Lading
Yet another freight shipping scam is the withholding of the Bill of Lading. Someone pretending to be a freight forwarder will have you pay them at an incredibly low rate to schedule shipping but withhold the necessary legal document until you pay the ransom.
How to Spot Scammers
One can find freight shipping scams in the form of fake company websites and personnel, freight forwarders, and freight brokers. The best policy is to be vigilant, checking for anomalies, including website addresses.
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Tags: avoid freight fraud, avoid trucking scams, common trucking scams