The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has become aware of a phishing scam and is warning those who might be affected.
In a message sent on its website, FMCSA stated that “an email is being sent to registered entities by someone pretending to be FMCSA and requesting that you complete attached forms, which ask for a social security number and a USDOT PIN.
FMCSA does not require such information on the official FMCSA forms and urges users “DO NOT fill out attached forms.”
FMCSA states to “always refer to the official FMCSA forms.”
In some cases, users are also being asked for a certificate of insurance and Driver’s License to help protect against fraud.
There is also a threat that if the recipient does not respond within a day that there will be a fine, “which is also not an FMCSA practice.”
The email shows that it came from either [email protected] or [email protected], which are not legitimate email addresses and are not used or owned by FMCSA.
if the recipient replies to the email, it actually goes to @fmcsa-safety-fmcsa.com, which is also not a domain owned or used by FMCSA. 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 that this is coming from FMCSA.
Communications from FMCSA relating to information requests of this type would either request you to log in to your portal account at FMCSA Login (dot.gov) or come directly from an FMCSA dedicated mailbox.
“While these emails typically end in a “.gov”, we encourage our stakeholders and customers to verify any email or communication they feel to be suspicious with the appropriate agency,” the statement reads. “The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends following certain procedures for email verification.”
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
