Verification of Contact Details (Email Addresses and Telephone Numbers)

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the activity of fraudsters who, in various ways, attempt to gain possession of shipments in order to steal or misappropriate them. The rise has been so substantial that virtually every working day brings new reports from the market about another attempted fraud or a fraud that has already been carried out.

Fraudsters continuously modify their methods to make them as effective as possible.

From the relatively easy-to-detect practice of impersonating existing transport companies (by unlawfully using company documents and creating an email address resembling that of the legitimate carrier), they have moved on to taking over existing transport companies, securing employment as freight forwarders within legitimately operating entities, or hacking into email accounts and/or transport exchange platforms to accept orders of which the company whose accounts were compromised has absolutely no knowledge.

However, the possibility of detecting a fraud attempt by undertaking appropriate verification measures still exists.

One of the fundamental steps should be to ensure that conversations are conducted with the person the counterparty claims to be.

In cases involving impersonation of an existing company (falsely presenting oneself as such a company), the most effective method appears to be a thorough verification of email addresses and telephone numbers.

Important: verification of contact details should apply to both potential subcontractors and potential clients. Fraudsters sometimes impersonate the largest forwarding companies in order to obtain services fraudulently and/or misappropriate goods by changing the place of delivery.

Proper verification of contact details should include verification of both email address(es) and telephone numbers.

In fraud-related loss cases, such contact details are provided to freight forwarders directly in email correspondence (the address from which the email was sent, as well as the details included in the email signature), or are published on a transport exchange profile (fraudsters may “take over” the account of a legitimate company; it also happens that they create an account under the name of a transport company that genuinely exists but has never needed an account on that particular transport exchange), or on a website created solely for the purpose of committing fraud.

HOW CAN CONTACT DETAILS BE VERIFIED?

It is recommended to carry out at least several actions that will allow for the most comprehensive verification possible:

Step 1 – check whether the provided email address and contact telephone number are listed on the counterparty’s account on the transport exchange platform.

Step 2 – using a search engine (e.g. Google), search by the company’s name to determine whether the email address and telephone number appear anywhere on the internet. If so, verify whether the details match those provided by the person who initiated contact for the purpose of establishing cooperation.
Information regarding email addresses and telephone numbers may be found, for example, in job advertisements for drivers, listings for the sale of vehicles or parts, or in official registers such as CEIDG or KRS.

Step 3 – using a search engine (e.g. Google), check whether the specific email address and telephone number provided by the potential counterparty appear anywhere online – the email address from which the potential counterparty contacted you should be entered into the search engine, and the search should then be repeated using the telephone number.

Step 4 – if the counterparty has cooperated with us in the past, check the internal database to determine whether the email address and telephone number are identical to those previously used by the counterparty in earlier contracts.

Step 5 – check when the internet domain was registered (for example, via https://www.whois.com/whois/ or https://whois.eurid.eu/pl/).

Step 6 – verify whether there is a website hosted under the domain address (and what contact details are published on it).

IF, AS A RESULT OF THE VERIFICATION, DIFFERENT CONTACT DETAILS ARE FOUND, IT IS ADVISABLE TO CONTACT THE COUNTERPARTY USING THE DETAILS IDENTIFIED INDEPENDENTLY, I.E. TO SEND A SHORT EMAIL REQUESTING CONFIRMATION THAT THE DISCUSSIONS ARE BEING CONDUCTED AND TO MAKE A BRIEF PHONE CALL TO THE TELEPHONE NUMBER FOUND.

Even where the verification result is positive, it is still advisable to exercise increased caution and pay attention, at a minimum, to the following warning signs:

• a request to move correspondence to a different email address (not listed on the freight exchange platform),
• messages written incoherently or in a manner suggesting the use of an automatic translator,
• messages written in different languages (e.g. a Polish carrier conducting correspondence partly in Polish and partly in English),
• the appearance of Cyrillic characters in correspondence (which may be normal when corresponding with a counterparty from a country where Cyrillic is used, but should raise concern when communicating with a counterparty from a country that uses the Latin alphabet),
• unusual email sending times, or a time shift in sending patterns suggesting that the other party is located in a distant time zone, despite having its registered office, for example, in Poland or the Czech Republic).

HOW DOES SUCH VERIFICATION WORK IN PRACTICE?

In situations where fraudsters impersonate an existing company, contacting the genuine organisation makes it possible to immediately determine whether an attempted fraud is taking place. The company whose identity is being misused confirms that it is not conducting any discussions regarding potential cooperation and that the email address and telephone number in question do not belong to it.

If a hostile takeover of an email account or a freight exchange platform account has occurred, verification makes it possible to contact the person whose account has been compromised (or that person’s manager/colleague) and obtain confirmation that, in reality, fraudsters initiated contact using a genuine account that was not being operated by an authorised individual.

This method may also prove effective in cases where fraudsters have taken over an existing company (for example, by purchasing a limited liability company with an established history), as there is a realistic chance of finding an email address or telephone number belonging to the previous owner. In such a situation, a brief conversation is sufficient to obtain information that the company has changed ownership and is now managed by different individuals.

Not every company acquisition means that it has fallen into the hands of fraudsters. However, if, for example, the previous owner was Mr Jan K. and he sold his shares to Mr Michał N., then Mr Michał N. should update the company’s details—at least by creating a freight exchange platform account under his own details. If Michał N. initiates contact from an account assigned to Mr Jan K., entering into cooperation is highly risky, as at a minimum this constitutes a misrepresentation of identity. In many cases, such situations ultimately result in the disappearance of shipments entrusted for transport.

Protect Your Cargo with BtrustUP

Fraud methods in the Transport&Logistics  industry are constantly evolving, which means that verifying a carrier only once — or relying on documents, freight exchange profiles and basic checks — may no longer be enough.

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