The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued an alert for motor carriers to be wary of phishing scams. According to the agency, an email is being sent to registered entities by someone pretending to be FMCSA and notifying you that you need to schedule a safety audit. The link to request the safety audit has what appears to be a SAFER URL and mirrors FMCSA’s MC-150, but includes fields to enter a PIN #, EIN #, and Social Security Number.

Not only is some of this information Personal Identifiable information (PII), but this information would also allow the unauthorized party to gain access to your FMCSA account. The email containing the link appears to be coming from FMCSA, but it is not.

The FMCSA says that actual communications relating to safety audits will typically come directly from an FMCSA dedicated mailbox, or from the entity within the state that has been assigned the responsibility to conduct the safety audit. While these emails typically end in a “.gov”, the agency encourages companies to verify any email or communication they feel to be suspicious with the appropriate agency or contact your FMCSA Division Office directly to clarify. Also, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends following certain procedures for email verification.

If you suspect your company has been victim of fraud or identity theft, FMCSA recommends using the official website of the Federal Trade Commission dedicated to reporting fraud cases at: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/.