The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is warning of attempts to defraud CDL drivers seeking employment and CDL training schools who are attempting to help students find jobs.
In the scam, the fraudster promises employment in return for money paid to fraudulent “recruiters.”
Here’s how it works: A caller represents himself or herself as being a recruiter for a known and legitimate motor carrier to a representative of a truck driving school or driver. The caller has an air of urgency and “must hire” several CDL holders immediately or as soon as a student graduates from driver training and receives his or her CDL. The fraudster also solicits truck driving school instructors to provide his or her call back number to trainees or recent graduates from truck driving schools.
When a driver seeking employment calls the “recruiter” he or she is offered an immediate position with higher-than-industry-norm pay and benefits for a new driver and is often told there will be a “waiver” for previous criminal or DUI convictions older than three to five years.
The caller then tells the driver candidate he or she must prove financial solvency to the carrier by sending a wire transfer of $350 or more to the “recruiter.”
Recently the “wire transfer” instructions were to procure a Walmart money transfer purchased at the closest Walmart store and sent to the “recruiter” for pick-up at another Walmart store, usually in another state. Past fraudulent “recruiters” have directed money transfers through other common money transfer services such as Western Union.
Victims are directed to travel to a location, often in another state, to be picked up by a company trainer and the pick-up does not occur.
FMCSA suggests that drivers and driver training schools call the publicly listed telephone number of any motor carrier offering employment and verify the recruiter is a duly authorized representative of the fleet.
