OOIDA Warns of New Texting Scam Targeting Truck Drivers

E-mail, phone call and text message scams are literally everywhere these days. Hackers and thieves will stop at nothing to try and gain access to financial and other personal information.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) is warning truckers of a potential texting scam where someone poses as a representative of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

DOT# / MCS-150 Scam

According to an article in Land Line, OOIDA’s official publication, an OOIDA member recently received a text advising him that there had been some type of error with his DOT files. ‘He was told to call a number ‘to become current and keep driving with no interruption.’ Naturally, this had (him) concerned,” according to Land Line.

The driver researched the number using Google and found it has a sketchy past. Tom Crowley, a regulatory specialist with OOIDA’s Business Services Department, said this is likely just another scam attempting to steal personal information. Crowley said the DOT will send a letter or maybe a phone call but will never text.

How Do Scammers Get Their Information?

Carriers are required to provide their phone numbers to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. That makes the number public knowledge and ripe for the picking for potential scammers, considering the FMCSA has a public API that gives anyone access to this information.

Crowley suggests truckers set up their authority using two phone lines: one to list on FMCSA’s website and another low-key number to give out to potential customers.

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