FMCSA warns truckers about fake safety audit email scam

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is asking truckers to be on the alert for a fake safety audit email scam.

Phishing Scam Alert

The FMCSA recently issued an alert to warn the trucking community about an email phishing scheme involving a group pretending to be the FMCSA telling truckers that they are required to schedule a safety audit.

From the FMCSA:

“An email is being sent to registered entities by someone pretending to be FMCSA and notifying 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 is also very convincing this is coming from FMCSA.“

What Should You Do To Prevent Phishing?

The agency says that emails regarding safety audits will 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. Most of the time, these email addresses will end in “.gov”.

If you feel that an email is suspicious, you’re encouraged to reach out to the emailing agency to verify that the safety audit request is legitimate.

You can learn more about using email authentication technology to combat phishing here.