FMCSA Warns Carriers of Aggressive Phishing Scheme

FMCSA stated it will never request Social Security numbers, bank account details or credit card information via unsolicited emails or phone calls. (AlbertPego/Getty Images)

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued an alert for motor carriers to be wary of fake emails pretending to be from the agency or Department of Transportation.

FMCSA said motor carriers are being targeted by an aggressive new phishing operation “to steal sensitive information or demand illegal payments” while pretending in emails to represent DOT or FMCSA officials.

“These emails often contain professional-looking documents and legitimate-looking links, but they are fake and designed” to trick motor carriers, the agency warned Jan. 30. “These emails DO NOT come from USDOT or FMCSA.”

FMCSA stated it will never request Social Security numbers, bank account details or credit card information via unsolicited emails or phone calls.

“If sensitive information is required, you should initiate contact through official FMCSA phone numbers or web portals. FMCSA will never request payment or sensitive information (like UCR, PIN, SSN, EIN, or bank details) through unsolicited messages,” the agency stated.

The fake emails usually contain links that generally connect to suspicious, nongovernment website domains lacking the ending .gov, such as fmcsa.web.saferwebdattaconnect.pro.

“FMCSA websites end with .gov (e.g., www.fmcsa.dot.gov). Always double-check the domain before providing any information. Hover over links to confirm the actual URL before clicking,” the agency explained.

“Official FMCSA correspondence almost always uses an email address ending in .gov. In special circumstances, such as customer satisfaction surveys after contacting the FMCSA Contact Center, emails may come from a non-.gov address. These surveys request feedback only and will not ask for personal, payment or account information,” FMCSA said.

Illegal Ploys Targeting Trucking

FMCSA has outlined a variety of cyber schemes crooks are using to trick people working in the trucking industry to obtain confidential personal information and money.

Some thieves pretend to be substance abuse professionals wanting to resolve open violations, or an employer willing to report negative results for tests that don’t exist. These scammers try to persuade truckers to share their full names, commercial driver license numbers and birth dates.

Other criminals have impersonated emails as coming from Safety and Fitness Electronic Records. They send emails seeking to verify a payment and fuel system linked to a motor carrier/DOT number by telling the email recipient to click on fake links.

Bogus FMCSA compliance notice emails that don’t end in .gov have also been sent. “Some FMCSA customers have received an email from contact@fmcsacompliancee.info, prompting them to take action on updating records,” according to FMCSA.

Actions to Take

The FMCSA has a “Fraud Alerts” webpage with numerous examples of phony emails sent to truckers and motor carriers.

FMCSA offers the following advice for those receiving suspicious emails:

• Don’t open attachments or reply to the sender.
   
• Don’t click any suspicious links; hover over them to reveal real email addresses or URLs on the links.
   
• If you have any doubts, avoid clicking links and verify all communications directly and report suspicious emails to official FMCSA channels, including contacting the FMCSA Call Center (ask.fmcsa.dot.gov/app/ticket) or calling 1-800-832-5660.
   
• Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency for information about online deception tactics and phishing.
   
• Learn more about email verification and cyber prevention strategies at the Federal Trade Commission’s website.
   
• File a complaint with the FBI through its IC3 site (ic3.gov/).