Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/643476
FRAUD & SCAMS A s business owners, cost saving is an essential part of maintaining a healthy and profitable business. As income fluctuates, there is increased emphasis on saving money, reducing expenses, and realizing a profit. One sure way to avoid unexpected expenditures is to mitigate any potential of falling victim to one or more of the many fraudulent scams that are taking place in the industry. Truckstop.com receives several reports daily from clients who have fallen victim to a number of different fraudulent activities. ese scams include stolen identities, stolen freight, fuel advance scams, and more. With the information contained in these reports we post alerts on our Website and write articles like this one in an effort to warn and educate our customers and the industry of these fraudulent activities. Our alerts and articles include information on how the different scams work and how they are executed. Likewise, we hear from many companies who claim to have successfully avoided being victimized as a result of the tools and communication we are providing. One of the most common scams currently being reported to our Security Department is a Fuel Advance Scam. Scammers are posing as legitimate carriers and booking loads with unsuspecting brokers who are provided with falsified BOLS as proof of load pick-ups that never happened in an effort to secure fraudulent fuel advances. e end result is the identity the of innocent carriers and revenue loss by unsuspecting brokers who issue advances to the scammers. To avoid the risk of being victimized, many brokers are not issuing advances to carriers with whom they have no prior experience. Brokers are also issuing several advances in much smaller amounts to reduce the loss in the event of a scam. Regardless of if you are a broker, carrier, shipper, freight-forwarder or any combination thereof, Truckstop.com provides a host of useful tools and resources designed to help keep your business safe and to improve your overall bottom line. DON'T BE A VICTIM DON'T BE A VICTIM DON'T BE A VICTIM DON'T BE A VICTIM DON'T BE A VICTIM BY SONNY SMITH, DIRECTOR OF ASSURANCE SERVICES 14 IT MAGAZINE Vo l . 1 0 , N o . 2