Heads up, truckers, an outfit has been imitating the feds and trying to defraud you out of some of your hard-earned cash.
Owners that went along with the DOT Authority’s ploy — instead of renewing their registration through the official Unified Carrier Registration website — got their registration renewed, but also wound up paying paid up to $550 more than the official government fee.
The FTC also said some companies got tricked into paying DOT Authority to recertify or deactivate their USDOT numbers. This is something that can be done for free through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Reportedly, the scheme, which began as early as 2012, took in more than $19 million.