Car Shipping Scam Watch
Some companies use tactics that cost customers money and time. Learn the warning signs, check a company's registration, and protect yourself before you pay.
Spot Red Flags
Common tactics explained
Verify Before You Ship
Check USDOT and MC numbers
Protect Your Payment
Safer ways to pay
Know Where to Report
If something goes wrong
This page is educational guidance. It does not list or accuse any specific company. Our directory lists real companies, but we publish no evaluations of them; use the steps here to check any carrier or broker yourself.
Common Car Shipping Scams
These patterns come up again and again. Knowing them makes them easier to recognize.
Lowball quote to win the deposit
A price far below every other quote gets you to pay a deposit. Afterward the price rises, or no driver ever accepts the job at that rate.
Bait and switch pricing
The quote changes after you commit: new fees appear, the rate is "updated for the season," or the price rises on pickup day.
No-show on pickup day
You pay a deposit, wait for a pickup that never comes, and then cannot reach anyone. Weak vetting of the actual carrier is a common cause.
Demanding full payment up front
Legitimate companies typically take a modest deposit and collect the balance on delivery. A demand for the full price before anything has moved is a warning sign.
Fake brokers and borrowed credentials
Someone quotes you using a real company's USDOT or MC number that is not theirs. Always confirm the number matches the name, address, and phone you were given.
Spoofed or cloned websites
A site that copies a real company's name and look, but uses a different domain, phone number, or payment link. Check the web address carefully before you pay.
Unresponsive after payment
Calls and emails were answered quickly until you paid. Afterward you get silence, or the contact details stop working.
Pressure and false urgency
"This price expires in an hour," or "only one truck left on your route." Pressure to decide fast is meant to stop you from checking.
Red Flags Checklist
One of these is not proof of a scam, but several together are a strong reason to slow down.
- A quote far below every other quote you received
- A demand for full payment before pickup, or for payment by wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency
- No USDOT or MC number, or a number that does not match the company's name on FMCSA records
- Reluctance to put the price, dates, and terms in writing
- A guaranteed pickup date or delivery date with no flexibility
- A company that cannot tell you whether it is a broker or the carrier
- Reviews that are all vague, all five stars, or all posted around the same time
- A website address, email domain, or phone number that does not match the company's registration
How to Verify a Company's USDOT and MC Number
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) keeps public records on interstate carriers and brokers, and you can check them yourself for free. It takes a few minutes and is the single most useful step you can take before you pay a deposit.
Ask for the identifiers
Get the company's legal name, USDOT number, and MC (docket) number in writing. A legitimate company will give them readily. Brokers and carriers each have their own registration.
Look them up on the FMCSA
Search by USDOT number, MC number, or company name in the FMCSA's SAFER company snapshot. Match the legal name, address, and phone number to what you were given.
Check the status
Confirm the registration is active and that the company is authorized to operate as a carrier or broker, whichever it says it is. A revoked, inactive, or missing authority is a reason to walk away.
Confirm insurance and who will move the car
Ask for proof of cargo insurance and check that coverage is on file with the FMCSA. If a broker is arranging your shipment, ask which carrier will move the vehicle and verify that carrier too.
Start your lookup at the FMCSA's SAFER company snapshot (safer.fmcsa.dot.gov). It opens on the government's own site in a new tab.
A registration that checks out shows a company exists and is authorized to operate. It does not guarantee good service, so keep comparing quotes, reading reviews, and getting terms in writing.
Protect Your Payment and Paperwork
- Pay the deposit by credit card, which gives you dispute rights, rather than by wire transfer, a payment app, gift card, or crypto.
- Get the final price, the deposit amount, what is included, and the pickup and delivery windows in a written agreement before you pay.
- Photograph your vehicle from every angle before pickup and inspect it against the bill of lading at delivery.
- Note any damage on the bill of lading before you sign it at delivery. Signing a clean report can weaken a later claim.
- Keep copies of quotes, emails, texts, receipts, and the bill of lading.
If You Think You've Been Scammed
Acting quickly improves your options. Work through these steps in order.
Step 1
Contact your card issuer or bank
Ask about disputing the charge. Act quickly, because dispute windows are limited.
Step 2
Gather your records
Collect the quote, agreement, receipts, messages, the company's web address, and any USDOT or MC number it gave you.
Step 3
Report it
File a report with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and consider reporting to your state attorney general's consumer protection office.
Step 4
Warn others
Tell friends and family who are choosing a company, and post an honest account wherever the company is listed so others can learn from it.