AnalysisLicences and fraud · Before the deposit, not after
How do I not get scammed shipping my car? Four checks, none of which costs anything
Car shipping fraud in the US runs on three patterns, and all three are visible before you pay. A broker takes a deposit and resells the booking to whoever bids lowest. A cloned site copies a real company down to its licence number. An invoice arrives with altered bank details late in the file. Four federal checks, all free and all under three minutes, catch the versions that matter — and of 27 ranking pages SeaRates measured, none links to the registry that runs the first one.
The three patterns
The resold booking. A broker quotes low, takes a deposit, and posts the load to a board. Whoever accepts it is the company that actually shows up, at a price the broker did not disclose. The deposit is usually non-refundable by the terms you accepted. This is the most common complaint pattern in the segment and it is not, strictly, fraud — which is why the contract wording matters more than the reviews.
The cloned site. A working copy of a real company's website, sometimes carrying that company's genuine licence number, on a domain registered weeks earlier. The licence checks out because it belongs to someone else. The tell is the domain age and the payment instructions, not the number.
The hijacked invoice. Correspondence is intercepted late in the file and a revised invoice arrives with new bank details, usually with an urgency hook. The fix is procedural: bank details are confirmed by voice on a number you already held, never on one supplied in the email that changed them.
The four checks
| Check | Where it runs | Time | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean authority | FMC OTI application | about 2 minutes | $0 |
| US road leg | FMCSA SAFER company snapshot | about 2 minutes | $0 |
| Legal entity | State business registry | about 3 minutes | $0 |
| Customs broker permit | CBP permitted brokers list | about 2 minutes | $0 |
The order matters. Establish which entity issues the bill of lading first, because that is the name to run through the registries — not the brand on the website, and not the salesperson's employer if they differ.
The credential that covers the ocean leg
A USDOT or MC number registers a company for the domestic road move. It says nothing about authority to arrange ocean carriage, and a car shipping company that shows only a USDOT number has not evidenced the leg where the value is at risk.
The ocean credential is an FMC ocean transportation intermediary licence. The register held 3,273 licensed ocean freight forwarder records and 9,030 NVOCC records when SeaRates read it on 07/26/2026. A broker without one is not necessarily unlawful — brokers arrange, and their partner may hold the licence — but then the partner's name is the one you need, in writing, before the deposit.
What a bond does and does not do
Both regimes require a bond, and both bonds are smaller than people assume. A licensed ocean freight forwarder posts $50,000; a US-based NVOCC posts $75,000; a registered foreign-based NVOCC posts $150,000.
A bond is a shared pool across every claimant against that company, drawn in the order claims settle. On a $40,000 vehicle it is worth reading as evidence the company cleared a federal threshold, not as cover for your car. Cover for your car is marine cargo insurance, priced at roughly 1.5-2.5% of declared value and bought separately.
Five clauses to read before signing
- Deposit terms. Refundable under what conditions,
and by when.
- Who performs. Whether the company may assign or resell the booking, and whether it must tell
you.
- The bill of lading issuer. Named, in the contract, not implied.
- Damage protocol. How condition is recorded at handover and what evidence is required for a
claim.
- Payment channel. Which account, confirmed by voice, and what happens if details change.
Where this goes next
Three pages carry the rest of this question: the number behind it, the comparison of whoever would do it, and the check that runs before you pay.
- the arithmetic of the total, duty and federal fees included — the figure behind it
- how the forwarder lists are built, and on what data — who does it
- the two-minute check that runs before you pay — check the licence
Two neighbouring pieces sit closer to this one than any of them: the check that matters, and when reliability is the one thing nobody publishes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I not get scammed shipping my car?
Run four free checks before any deposit: the FMC OTI register for ocean authority, FMCSA SAFER for the road leg, the state business registry for the legal entity, and the CBP list if a broker is filing entries. Together they take about nine minutes.
What are the risks of shipping a car?
The three recurring ones are a deposit taken against a booking that is then resold, a cloned website using a real licence number, and an invoice arriving late with altered bank details. All three are visible before payment.
How to tell if a car shipping company is legit?
Ask which entity issues the bill of lading, then search that exact name in the FMC OTI application and in FMCSA SAFER. A USDOT number alone covers the truck leg and says nothing about the ocean leg.
Is a deposit normal for car shipping?
Yes, and the terms are where the risk sits. Read whether it is refundable, under what conditions, and whether the company may assign the booking to another carrier without telling you.
Does a bond protect my car?
No. The bond — $50,000 for a licensed forwarder, $75,000 for a US-based NVOCC — is a shared pool across all claimants. Cover for a specific vehicle is marine cargo insurance at roughly 1.5-2.5% of declared value.
Sources
- Federal Maritime Commission, OTI search application — 3,273 licensed ocean freight forwarder records and 9,030 NVOCC records, read 07/26/2026.
- Federal Maritime Commission, bond program information for OTIs — bond amounts by entity type.
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, SAFER company snapshot — USDOT registration and operating status.
- SeaRates measurement of 27 pages ranking for car shipping company queries, 07/25-26/2026 — none links to the FMC list.