FMCSA warns of 'aggressive' new phishing campaign targeting carriers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Jan. 30 issued an alert to the trucking industry about “a new, aggressive phishing campaign” targeting motor carriers.

In the scheme, carriers receive emails falsely claiming to be from the U.S. Department of Transportation or FMCSA officials and often contain professional-looking documents and legitimate-looking links, the agency said. Yet the emails “are fake and designed to steal sensitive information or demand illegal payments,” FMCSA added.

Official correspondence from FMCSA almost always uses an email address ending in “.gov,” except in special circumstances. Only in those special circumstances, such as customer satisfaction surveys after contacting the FMCSA Contact Center, should emails come from a non-.gov address. (Those surveys ask for feedback only and do not ask for personal, payment or account information.)

As detailed in prior reporting, having strong “personal cyber hygiene” is the best defense for owner-operators and trucking companies. Always check links in emails to ensure they are legitimate. FMCSA said fake emails often contain links that lead to suspicious, non-.gov domains (for example, fmcsa.web.saferwebdattaconnect.pro).

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[Related: 'Personal cyber hygiene' for owner-ops to help avoid scammers online]

FMCSA added that it will never request payment or sensitive info, such as UCR, PIN, SSN, EIN or bank details, through unsolicited messages.

If you receive an unexpected email purportedly from DOT or FMCSA, avoid clicking links and verify all communications through official channels, including the FCMSA Call Center, or dial the agency direct at 1-800-832-5660.

FMCSA offers the following recommendations if you do receive a suspicious email:

• Do not click on links or open attachments
• Do not reply to the sender
• File a complaint with the FBI through their Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) site
• Report suspicious emails to the FMCSA Contact Center or call 1-800-832-5660
• Visit the Federal Trade Commission site for more on phishing and email verification

[Related: Cargo theft proliferation ups the ante on truckers' prevention]