Trucking information services provider, DAT Solutions, and the broker group, the Transportation Intermediaries Association, are warning of a scam that is affecting freight brokers and carriers.

TIA said it has received identity theft reports from freight broker and carrier companies whose logos, graphics, text and other intellectual property were stolen from their companies’ web sites.

The thieves use these elements to pose as brokers or carriers in emails, to recruit the email recipients as “shipping assistants,” asking these people to receive packages and re-ship them at their own expense, via major package carriers.

The fraudulent employers promise to reimburse the “shipping assistants”, but no money is ever reimbursed. When questioned, the scammers claim to be affiliated with the brokers or carriers whose identities and logos they have hijacked for that purpose.

The scam has been conducted entirely via e-mail so far, according to TIA.

These e-mails may appear to be legitimate because the scammers use the stolen logos and graphics to create a professional-looking web presence and domain name that mimic the company they claim to represent. However, a closer examination of the emails has revealed many errors in grammar and spelling, recalling the infamous “Nigerian prince” email scams. 

Those with information are asked to contact the DAT Alert line at 1-800-438-5623.