The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is warning motor carriers with authority about phishing emails sent by criminals posing as agency auditors.

The “fake safety audit” emails have been sent to entities registered with FMCSA including motor carriers, “pretending to be FMCSA” notifying them of the “need to schedule a safety audit,” the agency said.

A statement from FMCSA said 

An email is being sent to registered entities by someone pretending to be FMCSA and notifying you need to schedule a safety audit. The link to request the safety audit has what appears to be a SAFER URL and mirrors FMCSA’s MC-150, but includes fields to enter a PIN #, EIN #, and Social Security number. Not only is some of this information personal identifiable information, but this information would also allow the unauthorized party to gain access to your FMCSA account.

FMCSA said the email requests are “very convincing” that they originated with the FMCSA.

In its statement, FMCSA said:

“Communications relating to safety audits will typically come directly from an FMCSA dedicated mailbox, or from the entity within the state that has been assigned the responsibility to conduct the safety audit. While these emails typically end in a “.gov”, we encourage our stakeholders and customers to verify any email or communication they feel to be suspicious with the appropriate agency or contact your FMCSA Division Office directly to clarify.”

FMCSA said the Federal Trade Commission recommends following certain procedures for email verification.