The Fake Rate Confirmation Scam and Load Board Scams
Red Flags Every Carrier Should Check Before Hauling
By Michael Thomas, Founder, Logistical Forwarding Solutions
A fake rate confirmation scam starts with a load that looks like money. Good rate, quick reply, a clean PDF in your inbox. Then you haul it and nobody pays. This is how load board scams and fake broker scams in trucking work, the rate con red flags to check line by line, and how to verify a freight broker before your truck moves.
Load board scams start with a stolen login
In March 2025, phishing stole the login to an account on a major load board. The attackers used it to post fake loads with fraudulent contacts and altered rate cons. At least two carriers delivered loads before it was shut down (FreightCaviar).
fake loads posted from one stolen load board account · source
The load board itself has warned its customers that they're being targeted by phishing campaigns (load board warning). That's load board phishing: the posting can sit on a legitimate board and still be fake.
"The board was real. The account was stolen. That's why you check the broker, not just the posting."
— Michael Thomas, Founder
Fake rate confirmation scam red flags
Pull up the rate con and go top to bottom.
- Broker name and MC. Does the MC match the broker you think you're dealing with on FMCSA's records?
- Phone number. Is it the number FMCSA lists for that broker, or only the one printed on this page?
- Email domain. Is it the broker's exact domain, letter for letter? Or a free email address?
- Load details. Do the load number, rate, pickup and delivery match what was posted and what you agreed to on the phone?
- Payment instructions. Is it the broker's real payment portal, or a new link or account?
FreightWaves puts it plainly: verify the broker's FMCSA-listed phone, the exact email domain, the MC/DOT and the payment portal, and never trust numbers printed on the rate con.
The same verify-first habit applies before a quote ever goes out. Our fake shipper warning covers the shipper side, and Shield's own breakdown of that catch shows how the web address check works.
How to verify a freight broker
FMCSA's guidance is worth following (FMCSA):
- Hover over links before you click, and check where they really go.
- Keep your own SAFER contact information correct, so nobody can claim to be you.
- Report fraud to the FTC, the FBI's IC3 and the DOT Office of Inspector General.
Then pick up the phone. Find the broker's listed line on your own, dial it, and confirm the load number, the rate and who you talked to.
Double brokered load not paid? Your options
Here's a pattern documented by Transport Topics and a DOT OIG case. A fraudster poses as a carrier to win a load from a real broker. Then they pose as a broker to hire a real truck: you. You haul it. They collect the payment using your POD.
If you weren't paid, the broker's surety bond may be an option. But bond claims can be shared among everyone the broker owes, and they may not cover every load (Overdrive). That's why the check before you haul matters most.
Where LFS Shield checks the rate con
LFS Shield, our Circular Logistics Agentic Cybersecurity System, has three-plus years of beta use on LFS's own loads. Owner-operators drag and drop a rate con, an email, a screenshot or an MC number into "Scan This Load."
- Document check. Compares the load number, rate, parties and destination to the posting and any earlier versions, and fingerprints the file so changes show.
- Company check. Looks at domain age and registration, FMCSA authority, and a phone number verified independently.
- Malware check. The rate con PDF itself is always scanned before you open it. Shield runs right inside the LFS AOS load workspace, and the carrier packet you send back can live in LFS Compliance.
- Email check. Flags a sender that doesn't match the reply-to address and look-alike domains.
- Plain-English next step. Most of the time that means dialing the broker on a number you dug up on your own.
Next, read trucking cybersecurity and remote-access malware and our carrier and dispatcher guide. More from Logistical Forwarding Solutions.
FAQ
What is a fake rate confirmation scam?
A fraudster sends a rate con that looks real so you haul a load they won't pay for, or so they can collect payment using your paperwork.
Can a load on a real load board be fake?
Yes. In one 2025 case, a stolen account posted 19,000 fake loads.
What are the biggest rate con red flags?
A phone or email you can't verify independently, a mismatched MC, load details that differ from the posting, and new payment instructions.
How do I verify a freight broker?
Check FMCSA records, look up the phone number yourself, confirm the exact email domain and call before you haul.
What if a double brokered load wasn't paid?
You may be able to claim on the broker's surety bond, but it can be shared and may not cover all loads.