Freight gone or money sent? Do this, in order.

1. Call the police where it happened

   Cargo theft and fraud are crimes. Report to the local police or sheriff for the place where the freight was taken or where the fraud occurred, and get a report or case number. Insurers, factors and brokers will ask for it. FMCSA’s guidance lists local law enforcement among the places to report.

   Source: FMCSA, Broker and Carrier Fraud and Identity Theft

2. Call your insurance company right away

   Tell your insurer (and your agent) what happened and ask what they need. Policies often have deadlines for reporting a loss, so do not wait. Keep the claim number with your police report number.

   Sources: FMCSA; NICB.

3. Preserve the evidence

   • Keep emails with full headers, rate confirmations, BOLs, texts, call logs and any recordings.
   • Save screenshots of load-board postings and profiles before they disappear.
   • Write down the driver’s name, license, plate numbers, USDOT/MC numbers, truck and trailer description, and times.
   • Do not delete anything, even embarrassing messages.

4. Lock down your accounts

   If email takeover is possible, change passwords from a clean device, turn on multi-factor authentication, and look for unfamiliar mailbox rules (forwarding or auto-delete). Check that your FMCSA registration details, load-board profiles and factoring contacts have not been changed. The FBI describes criminals using such mailbox rules to hide their activity.

   Source: FBI IC3 PSA I-043026-PSA

5. Report to the FBI’s IC3

   For internet-enabled fraud (fake emails, spoofed contacts, account takeover), file a complaint at ic3.gov. Include dates, amounts, email addresses, phone numbers and payment details.

6. Report to the FTC

   File at reportfraud.ftc.gov. FMCSA’s guidance lists the FTC among the places to report.

7. Tell FMCSA and the DOT Inspector General

   • FMCSA Contact Center: 1-800-832-5660, or the online form at ask.fmcsa.dot.gov. Use it if your identity or registration was used by someone else, or if a carrier or broker was fraudulent.
   • USDOT Office of Inspector General hotline: (800) 424-9071, or oig.dot.gov/hotline.
   • You can also file a complaint in FMCSA’s National Consumer Complaint Database: nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov.

   Source: FMCSA guidance

8. Tell CargoNet and NICB

   • CargoNet: 1-888-595-CNET (2638), the number its releases give for theft victims. See cargonet.com.
   • NICB: 800-TEL-NICB (800-835-6422), or nicb.org.

   Reports to these groups help law enforcement and industry spot patterns. They do not replace your police report.

9. Notify the businesses involved

   Tell the load board, broker, shipper and any factoring company, and consider your state attorney general. FMCSA’s guidance lists these steps. If you are a carrier, do not hold freight hostage over a payment dispute. FMCSA warns that this is illegal and can be a criminal offence.

10. Warn your network

    Once the authorities have been told, let your dispatchers, drivers and trusted brokers know what the scheme looked like so they can spot it.

Quick contact table

General information, not legal advice. For a specific situation, talk to your insurer, a transportation attorney and the police.