Scam attempted against me from fake broker

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by gekko1323, Jun 10, 2023.

  1. gekko1323

    gekko1323 Road Train Member

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    I posted my truck on DAT last week and actually got a bite. A "broker" emailed me and told me about a power-only alcohol load going from Austin to Waco. So we were trading messages back and forth until I started to suspect something fishy was going on.

    With the surplus of trucks out there, why was this broker contacting me so aggressively? Why was the rate so good compared to other loads on the board? Why wasn't he sending me a link to set up? Why was he doing everything by email?

    So I ask him for his MC and he sent it to me. I looked it up and it was legit. I then called the broker's office in Wichita just to make sure.

    The owner answered and I asked him for confirmation about the load he was offering. I gave him the details. He replied that he wasn't even in business yet. He was in the process of getting things set up and had no customers yet. So I sent him the email chain so he could be vigilant.
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2023
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  3. Judge

    Judge Road Train Member

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    And, now, you can be his first truck when he gets customers.
    Win all around?
     
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  4. gekko1323

    gekko1323 Road Train Member

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    I never thought of that. Maybe I'll call him Monday. He did send me an email thanking me yesterday.
     
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  5. blairandgretchen

    blairandgretchen Road Train Member

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    And thus - direct shippers are born?
     
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  6. RockinChair

    RockinChair Road Train Member

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    That should have been your first clue that something was fishy. There are a ton of distilleries and microbreweries around Austin, but I'm not aware of any in Waco.

    edit: did the scammer's emails come from the same domain as the legitimate broker's?
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2023
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  7. Judge

    Judge Road Train Member

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    Meh.

    31AF8438-715C-47B5-AE94-1846A7BA0693.jpeg

    Run Away.
    39CAB386-EAA6-4130-85C5-6601B340C722.gif
     
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  8. gekko1323

    gekko1323 Road Train Member

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    I'm sorry. The load DID pick up in Austin, not Waco. His email had the domain but it had a number at the end before the @. That is a tell-tale sign in and of itself.
     
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  9. Rideandrepair

    Rideandrepair Road Train Member

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    I’ve been getting spam calls offering good paying loads. I asked one for their mc#. Said they didn’t have one yet but could give me their tax ID #. Barely spoke English. Basically offering a Dispatch Service. Offered to share their 3 years of experience. Lol. I got irate with them when they called a second time.
     
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  10. gekko1323

    gekko1323 Road Train Member

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    I get about 5 of those calls a day. And they all have these All-American names but can't speak a lick of English, or they have a heavy Indian accent. Jimmy Robinson, Chase Curtis, Dillon Michaels are all names that they've used. I laugh at them and ask them if that is really their names.

    So here is what's going on. I'm sure you've noticed that a lot of these calls are coming from Wyoming. That's because they all have the same address in Cheyenne. There is one address that has over 100 companies. So, I'm thinking that the location in Wyoming is a virtual office, but these guys are actually based in India. They legally open the company in Wyoming and use the virtual office as their locale.

    They don't have an MC# because they are basically dispatchers at best. When they ask me for my docs I never give it to them. If they are not brokers, why do they need my info?
     
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  11. m16ty

    m16ty Road Train Member

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    You meet a lot of legitimate people from India that have American names. I do a lot of business with an Indian guy named “Roy”. They use an American name because you can’t pronounce their real name. Also, for some reason they all have a last name of Patel.
    Yes, their are also a lot of scammers from India too.
     
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