Fake Freight Scams In the Shipping Industry
International Shipping has been one of the important channels to increase export and import relations. Nowadays, when we see the shipping industry increasing at a greater scale, scams also increase faster. It is a common practice when people face cheating and fraud in export or import. Today, we will break down the kinds of scams the shipping industry faces internationally.
The scam which we will be discussing is “Duplicate and Similar Name Scam.”
What is a “Duplicate and Similar Name Scam”?
This scam is popular as many people have started using the same name to cheat shippers out of money. Industry can indeed have the same name as the new companies are trying to use the brand loyalty of the old company to gain customers’ trust and brand recognition.
Scammers tend to influence people to steal money by using the name of a company already having goodwill.
Steps to avoid this scam?
When we know this scam is there, we should be aware of how to avoid it.
1) Check the URL – When using the URL, check if the company name is the same and if it’s misspelt.
2) Try to search if the company name has its domain or not.
3) Try to see if the content written is poorly spelt or has grammatical errors.
4) The quality of the logo should be checked to avoid scams.
5) Check the content consistency which means that some of the sites have very little content which is a sign that they are someone who lacks a team. Hence, when anyone checks the site, it should be clear that it is not the original shipping site.
7) Sometimes, the content is copied from a website that has not been in use for many years.
The stolen name and website scams are some of the common fraudulent practices that are carried forward in international shipping.
It is advisable that while choosing a freight forwarder, do your research. Please make sure whatever you choose is reputable with years of experience, can offer references, and are who they say they are.
Freight scams are increasing, but they should be first identified, which is a challenge. If we can identify these scams, we can make international trade relations stronger and easier.
The main aim is to reduce scams and prevent the shipping industry from following the rules and regulations.
In the end, we would like to conclude by saying that check before you sign up as it is you who can prevent yourself from such scams.