A professional-looking email arrives with a familiar brokerage name. The rate is attractive, the paperwork is ready and the pickup window is closing. Then comes a small change: use a different phone number, follow a new delivery instruction or identify the carrier another way. That change is exactly where verification matters. FMCSA warns that freight fraud can involve the unauthorized use of another carrier’s USDOT number or someone acting as an unregistered broker. It also cautions that insurance certificates themselves can be fraudulent. A convincing packet is not the same as a verified transaction. 1 Call the number you independently verified FMCSA recommends checking broker and carrier phone numbers through SAFER. If the number supplied by the person offering the load differs from the listed company number, contact the company using the independently obtained number to discuss the shipment. Even an employee’s identity can be stolen, so resolve the discrepancy rather than accepting a polished explanation. 1 For your dispatch team, make verification a repeatable step. Record who confirmed the transaction, which number you used and what was confirmed. Do not let urgency turn an exception into your normal operating procedure. A search-engine result alone is not a reliable shortcut. FMCSA notes that scammers can create fake profiles that appear in search results. Cross-check information instead of trusting the first result. 1 Treat changed instructions as a new decision A revised destination, payment detail or pickup contact should trigger verification. Confirm the change through the established contact channel, not solely by replying to the message announcing it. FMCSA identifies several reasons to stop a transaction, including requests to misrepresent the carrier, questionable destinations explained away as a “blind load,” and rates far above the current market. These are warning signs to investigate, not a reason to push the driver to move faster. 1 Ask your customers to check that the truck and driver arriving match the contracted carrier. FMCSA also recommends documenting vehicle information and comparing truck and trailer photographs with the carrier packet. 1 Know what your insurance does—and does not—solve Fraud prevention and insurance review are separate jobs. A cargo policy is not automatically a guarantee that every fraudulent transaction, unpaid freight bill, deceptive instruction or stolen identity is covered. Ask your agent how the policy treats theft, dishonest acts, voluntary parting, impersonation and any related exclusions or endorsements. Describe the operation and the scenario plainly. The answer must come from the actual contract, not the phrase “full coverage.” If something is wrong, preserve the trail Keep emails, rate confirmations, call records, delivery changes and vehicle information. Contact the insurer and the appropriate parties promptly. FMCSA recommends notifying insurers, load boards and factoring companies when a company’s information is being fraudulently used, and provides reporting routes through federal agencies and law enforcement. 1 Do not hold freight hostage to force payment. FMCSA explicitly warns that this is illegal; seek appropriate legal guidance for the dispute. 1 A useful dispatch rule: independently verify the identity before accepting the instruction. Contact Trux to discuss your operation’s cargo and related coverage exposures. *Educational information only. This article does not guarantee coverage or replace legal advice. Policy wording and the facts of a loss determine coverage.* References - FMCSA: Broker and Carrier Fraud and Identity Theft