An online classified ad offering a 12-year-old motor carrier authority for sale has exposed a growing vulnerability in the freight industry: aged MC numbers are being sold and repurposed by scammers seeking instant credibility.
Recently, an ad circulated on social media advertising MC 829460 for $20,000. The listing claimed, “zero violations,” “zero claims,” and a “fast transfer” for any buyer ready with cash.
When The Bannon Report contacted the seller, he confirmed the offer. The MC, along with a truck and trailer, was available for immediate transfer.
According to FMCSA records, MC 829460 shows one truck, one trailer, and one driver, with more than a decade of operating history on paper. But the seller made clear he was willing to hand over the entire authority to whoever purchased it.
More aged MCs are hitting the market
This is not an isolated case. Similar listings appear weekly, signaling a quiet but accelerating marketplace in which established authorities are being sold like used vehicles.
Once purchased, a buyer can plug in a new phone number, dispatcher, email address, and driver, instantly appearing to be a seasoned carrier. To brokers and shippers, the 12-year-old authority looks trustworthy at first glance.
In reality, the new operator may have no experience at all.
“An authority is not a resume,” said Christopher Allen, fraud analyst at THE BANNON REPORT. “It does not reveal who is operating the company today or whether they have legitimate intent to move freight.”
A perfect opening for scammers
While some buyers may simply want to bypass the challenges of on-boarding with a new MC number, the larger concern is the opportunity this creates for organized fraud rings.
The Bannon Report has documented multiple cases in which aged authorities were purchased using cash, fake identification, or fraudulent documents. Once the transfer is complete, the new owner inherits the authority’s clean history and uses it to pass broker vetting without scrutiny.
With instant credibility, scammers can book loads, take possession of freight, and disappear before brokers realize the ownership has changed.
That borrowed trust is often what allows freight to vanish without warning.
A growing blind spot in carrier vetting
Carrier age has traditionally been viewed as a positive safety indicator, and many on-boarding processes still rely heavily on the authority’s years in service. But with ownership transfers occurring quietly and frequently, those assumptions are becoming unreliable.
A carrier that appears experienced on paper may, in fact, be operated by someone with no safety record, no insurance relationships, and no understanding of proper freight handling.
In some cases, the new owner never intends to move freight at all.
These aged-authority purchases now represent one of the fastest-growing blind spots in modern freight fraud.
Trend accelerating across multiple states
Investigations show similar cases appearing across the country, with rising frequency and higher financial stakes. Brokers and shippers are increasingly exposed to fraudsters who hide behind a decade old authority that may have changed hands overnight.
“A twelve-year-old authority is not automatically a safe bet,” Allen said. “In today’s environment, it might be the perfect disguise.”
Education and monitoring are becoming essential
As fraud tactics evolve, compliance teams need more than age and insurance data to assess risk. Real time monitoring, behavioral signals, and ownership-change detection are becoming essential to prevent fraudulent carriers from slipping through the cracks.
The supply chain is facing a fraud problem that evolves faster than traditional vetting can keep up with. Understanding how scammers adapt is the first step toward stopping them.
Freight moves America. Protecting it starts with knowing exactly who is behind the authority being trusted with each load.
Phillip Brink
CEO and Co-Founder, The Bannon Report