I reached out to a friendly at www.carriervetting.com today after being contacted by a broker who has been compromised. I asked what a broker should do if this happens. Here is the response.
The broker should absolutely make their bond provider aware of the situation. Get in front of potential claims down the road.
They should also do the following:
1. Send out a blast email to all carriers in their network warning them of the fraudulent activity. They should also provide examples of the fake email address(es) being used to impersonate them.
2. Report the fraudulent email address(es) via email here:
ab***@co************.com
3. While the complaint will not get investigated it is highly advisable that they file a formal NCCDB complaint here: https://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov/nccdb/home.aspx
This way if the fraudulent activity leads to any potential litigation against the broker down the road, the identity theft is documented and reported. Make sure to take note of the report number.
Beyond that, unfortunately it is a waiting game. Eventually the identity thief will move on to their next victim. The sooner you can turn up the heat on them, the sooner they’ll move on.
