Unfortunately, fraudulent companies will always find a way to scam people out of their money. That is why it is important to know how to recognize and avoid scammers. Especially when it comes to shipping and freight forwarding. That is why today we will tell you how to avoid common shipping and freight frauds. It will help you better organize everything, and not lose money in the process. We will tell you how you can recognize good shipping and logistics companies without any trouble. Follow our guide for more.
Ways to avoid common shipping and freight forwarding scams – different types
It is not only about spotting a fraudulent shipping company. It is about knowing more about the types of scams they are doing. If you learn how to notice them, you will surely have an easy way to avoid them. But, in the meantime, here are the most common scams you need to know more about:
- They are holding your bill of landing
- Stealing your cargo
- They often change bank details
- Fake costs
This is a list of the biggest and most common scams a fraudulent moving company will try to do. It will allow you to recognize them, so you won’t have to stress over anything. Once you learn more about this, it will be easy to find and hire freight forwarding companies in Saudi Arabia. The best thing you can do is to leave everything to the professionals.
What is the bill of landing ransom?
This is a scenario where a scamming company will tell you they are a famous freight forwarder on some popular website that promotes shipping companies. You can spot them by looking at their ridiculously low rates that can’t even be compared to the costs of legitimate companies. Now, how does this work? Well, it all happens when your items are packed and then shipped. Once they leave the port of loading, the scammer will withhold the bill of landing. The thing is, the items can’t be unloaded without this bill. Rather than doing this, they will ask you for ransom money to see your shipment again.
This can often happen to naive people. But, every legitimate company will immediately give you a bill of landing. Especially when you are looking for a shipping container from Canada to Saudi Arabia. That way you will surely avoid any possible scams.
What is cargo theft and how it happens
Did you know that there is a significant rise in cargo theft? Especially when it comes to high-value items. They have become increasingly targeted by fraudulent haulers and freight forwarders. The thing is, they are posing as a freight forwarding company and will offer you extremely low rates with only one goal in mind, and that is to steal your cargo. Once you strike a deal with them, you can say goodbye to your shipment. Because that would be the last time you see them.
The best way you can avoid this scam is to hire only reliable shipping companies near you. And if you are still wondering how to spot them, well, they have all the necessary paperwork required to work. If a company wants to be legitimate and legal, they need to fulfill all the requirements set by the government. Then, they will receive their permit
Changing bank details
Scammers learn and invent something new every day. That is why this is one of the latest scams. And it is targeted towards DIY importers. You can receive an email from your “shipping company” stating that you should put your payment in a different bank, and they give you different bank details. They will convince you that this is legitimate, so you will just go ahead and pay. The best way to avoid this is to reach out to your true company and ask if there has been some change in details.
This is something you need to have in mind before you do anything to ship your cargo. And it is one of the ways to recognize bad shipping companies. Once you know how to spot them, you will be able to avoid them with ease. And that is something you should know how to do to safely transport your belongings.
What are fake costs
This is not something that can be classified as a scam, but it is something that some shipping companies will add to the cost of shipping. And some of these items are:
- Security surcharge
- New export fees
- Fuel surcharges
- US customs Air
- Adjusting to Chinese currency
- the increased rate during the peak season
- Security and other charges
These are some of the costs they can charge you with. And sometimes it can be impossible to avoid them. But, in the following part, you will learn how you can do that.
How to avoid these scammers
The best way you can avoid all of this is to get informed about everything. Don’t be lazy, call your shipping company and get into details about everything. The more you know, the lower the chances of you getting scammed. It also doesn’t hurt to surf the internet for people’s experiences and their warnings. Read your contract carefully and ask anything that is confusing you. The more answers you get, the better. Getting informed is one of the best ways you can avoid any of these scams.
These are the best ways you can avoid common shipping and freight frauds. And one of the biggest and most productive is to know how you can get scammed. With this guide at your disposal, you can rest assured that nothing can wrong, so you can plan everything with ease. We are glad if you found our article informative. And if you want, you can read more about the shipping process in our blog.
