So, after getting unloaded at Costco here in Morris, Illinois, I drove across the street to the TA. Opened up the DAT load board, posted my truck available to anywhere, and went on about my website work. I posted it available to anywhere because it was a Saturday, and I wanted to have any options possible sent to me for the weekend. Not many brokers working on the weekends.
I got a few articles completed finally, one of them being about scams and fraud getting worse.
Perfect timing.
As I am working, I get an email from a "broker". This guy has a load that picks up right here in Morris, Illinois. It is going right to my home in Centerton, Arkansas. I can pick it up basically anytime on Saturday (0800-2300), deliver it anytime I want on Monday (0600-1900). What's better? It's only 11,000 LBS of foodstuff.
That a freaking unicorn load after the two runs I just made, right?
Brokers just wants to know my rate.
Here is the email, and my response after doing a quick search to verify the email information:
My first red flag before checking anything? The load picks up in the same city I am in, and goes to the same city where I live. Since I live in a small town, and can think of absolutely nowhere that would receive a load like this, I am super suspicious.
So, I look up the company information. Their email domain is @unifylogisticsolutions.com. See the problem there? See how easy it is to overlook at assume it is ok? This happens all the time out here. Scammers have secured domain names that are extremely close to the broker's domain name. Very easy to overlook.
Before replying back to thebroker scammer, I reached out to the actual brokerage. I verified their domain information and that this was not from them. they even have a broker named Nick Grace. Sadly, I don't think they truly understood what I was telling them due to a major language barrier (shocker), so they transferred me to the broker, who wasn't working that day. I simply wanted them to understand that they were being actively scammed, and if they didn't get control of it quickly, the could easily be out of business in a short period of time.
So, I replied back to the scammer, and shockingly, I never heard back.
It was just kind of funny that shortly after finally completing the above article, this crap happened to me. Not the first time, and definitely not the last time.
If you are out here working under your own authority, it is very important that you trust nothing, and verify everything.
I got a few articles completed finally, one of them being about scams and fraud getting worse.
Article 'Freight Fraud Is Getting Smarter, and Truckers Are Paying the Price'
Freight fraud is no longer just a shady broker problem or a bad load-board story. It is becoming one of the biggest business threats in trucking, and the criminals behind it are getting smarter.
That is what makes this week’s reporting so important. The newest industry data shows that freight...
- Freight Relocators
- 3 min read
- Category: News
- broker fraud cargo theft freight fraud owner operators small fleets trucking business trucking news
Perfect timing.
As I am working, I get an email from a "broker". This guy has a load that picks up right here in Morris, Illinois. It is going right to my home in Centerton, Arkansas. I can pick it up basically anytime on Saturday (0800-2300), deliver it anytime I want on Monday (0600-1900). What's better? It's only 11,000 LBS of foodstuff.
That a freaking unicorn load after the two runs I just made, right?
Brokers just wants to know my rate.
Here is the email, and my response after doing a quick search to verify the email information:
My first red flag before checking anything? The load picks up in the same city I am in, and goes to the same city where I live. Since I live in a small town, and can think of absolutely nowhere that would receive a load like this, I am super suspicious.
So, I look up the company information. Their email domain is @unifylogisticsolutions.com. See the problem there? See how easy it is to overlook at assume it is ok? This happens all the time out here. Scammers have secured domain names that are extremely close to the broker's domain name. Very easy to overlook.
Before replying back to the
So, I replied back to the scammer, and shockingly, I never heard back.
It was just kind of funny that shortly after finally completing the above article, this crap happened to me. Not the first time, and definitely not the last time.
If you are out here working under your own authority, it is very important that you trust nothing, and verify everything.
