Freight fraud and cargo theft are on the rise. Learn the 10 questions every shipper should ask their transportation provider to help protect shipments from carrier fraud, cargo theft, and unauthorized pickups.
By Tanner Giesel
Founder, Rise Logistics Group
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Freight fraud has become one of the fastest-growing threats facing the transportation industry. Criminal organizations are becoming increasingly sophisticated, using tactics such as carrier impersonation, email account compromises, identity theft, purchased MC authorities, and unauthorized pickups to gain access to valuable shipments.
Many shippers focus heavily on rates, transit times, and service levels. While those factors are important, understanding how your transportation provider verifies carriers and protects your freight can be equally critical.
Before tendering your next shipment, consider asking your transportation provider the following questions.
1. Which carrier identity verification software do you use?
Today, freight brokerages utilize carrier identity verification platforms such as Highway, SaferWatch, RMIS, and Carrier411 to help identify suspicious activity before freight is awarded. These platforms provide valuable insights into carrier identity, ownership changes, fraud alerts, contact information inconsistencies, authority history, and other risk indicators that may not be visible through standard compliance checks.
While these tools are important, technology alone cannot prevent fraud. The strongest fraud prevention programs combine software with multiple layers of carrier verification and ongoing monitoring.
2. Is the carrier’s email domain verified?
One of the most common forms of freight fraud today involves email impersonation. Fraudsters often create email addresses that closely resemble legitimate carrier domains and use them to communicate with brokers and shippers.
Transportation providers should verify that communications originate from an approved company email domain and ensure the individual communicating is authorized to represent the carrier. A single letter or character difference in an email address can be the difference between a legitimate carrier and a fraudulent actor.
3. Are two-factor rate confirmation procedures being used?
Email accounts can become compromised. When this happens, fraudsters may gain access to legitimate carrier communications and attempt to steal or double broker loads without authorization.
A strong fraud prevention process includes two-factor rate confirmations when a load is awarded. Even if a carrier’s email is compromised, the rate confirmation cannot be opened without an additional outside software verification step.
4. Does your team hang up and call the carrier back using a verified phone number?
Caller ID spoofing technology allows individuals to make phone calls that appear to come from legitimate carriers.
Rather than relying solely on inbound phone calls, teams should disconnect and call back using a verified phone number. This simple step can help prevent fraudulent carriers from impersonating legitimate transportation companies.
5. Are carrier assets and ELD locations being verified?
Technology has made it easier than ever to validate whether a carrier’s assets are operating where they claim to be. With the correct software, transportation providers can see where carrier assets are in real time and confirm that equipment is positioned as expected.
6. Are truck, trailer, and license plate photos collected before pickup?
Visual verification has become an increasingly valuable fraud prevention tool.
Requesting photographs of the truck, trailer, and license plate prior to pickup helps create an additional layer of accountability. It also provides documentation that can be shared with shipping locations to verify that the equipment arriving on-site matches the equipment that was approved for the shipment.
7. How many shipments have you completed with this carrier?
Carrier history matters.
While new carriers can provide excellent service, transportation providers generally have more confidence in carriers they have successfully worked with over time. Historical performance data helps identify reliable partners and provides insight into communication, service quality, and operational consistency.
Knowing whether a carrier is hauling their first load or their hundredth load for a provider can help shippers better understand the overall risk profile.
8. How long has the carrier been operating under its authority?
The age of a carrier’s authority should never be the only factor considered during carrier selection, but it remains an important data point.
New authorities are inherently riskier. They require additional verification and oversight because there is less operational history available for review.
9. Has the MC authority recently changed ownership?
One emerging fraud trend involves the purchase of existing MC authorities.
In some cases, fraudsters acquire older authorities with established histories to create the appearance of legitimacy. Because of this, brokerages should monitor ownership changes and review carrier records for significant recent updates.
Ownership changes do not automatically indicate a problem, but they should trigger additional verification procedures before freight is assigned.
10. Does your transportation provider have documented freight fraud prevention procedures?
Perhaps the most important question is whether the transportation provider has a formal and repeatable process for preventing fraud.
Freight security should not depend on individual employees making judgment calls. Effective brokerages implement documented procedures covering carrier qualification, identity verification, fraud prevention, compliance monitoring, and ongoing employee training.
As freight fraud tactics continue to evolve, companies must continuously refine their processes to stay ahead of emerging threats.
How Rise Logistics Approaches Freight Security
At Rise Logistics Group, freight security is one of our highest priorities.
Our team utilizes a multi-layer carrier qualification process designed to significantly reduce risk and improve shipment security. This process includes carrier identity verification, email domain validation, verified callback procedures, carrier history reviews, fraud monitoring tools, MC authority analysis, insurance verification, two-factor rate confirmations, and ongoing freight fraud prevention training.
We also continuously evaluate industry trends and emerging threats to strengthen our processes and help protect our customers’ freight.
In today’s transportation environment, freight security is no longer optional. Shippers deserve transparency, accountability, and confidence in the transportation providers handling their shipments.
If you would like to learn more about Rise Logistics Group’s freight security procedures, contact our team today.
Freight Security. Our Priority.