Beware of cargo theft – how to protect yourself

Freight crime costs the UK economy a staggering £420 million (€485m) annually, according to a report by NaVCIS and the NPCC. These so-called ‘tarpaulin slashers’ usually operate at night in unguarded car parks or steal goods directly from inadequately secured storage areas. But there are also those who engage in freight fraud, posing as supposedly reliable transport partners online and having the selected goods loaded into the wrong lorry with impunity. These so-called phantom hauliers often respond to offers from freight exchanges or claim to be users of these platforms themselves.

This article provides you, as a user of digital marketplaces, with tips on how to protect yourself effectively against cargo theft and fraudulent business partners, and what precautions the TIMOCOM Marketplace takes for you. 

Checklist to avoid cargo theft 

Check business partners carefully

Establishing new business relationships at short notice is part of day-to-day business on the spot market. It is important to be particularly vigilant here and to check potential partners carefully. Is the transport company really who they say they are? 

The TIMOCOM Marketplace can help you to maintain your security and avoid freight theft in a number of ways. Firstly, all companies are subject to an initial verification before being authorised. Existing customers can also have their documents and licences verified by an independent service. Companies that have passed the Business Partner Check are marked as verified companies. And experiences from the network can also be used to check a new business partner, since companies with more than five experience reports are given a freight rating in their company profile. This is visible to all users and can therefore be taken into account when selecting a transport partner.

Create your own networks for freight allocation

If you have already built up a network of service providers that you use from time to time, you can create your own partner network in the TIMOCOM freight exchange. This eliminates the need to verify unknown spot market users. Instead, you as the client can select the members of your Closed Freight Exchange yourself and can share your orders exclusively with this group. These individual private user groups provide all the convenience of digital order placement in a network of known business partners. 

Use secure communication channels

People with fraudulent intentions often resort to insecure communication channels outside of online platforms. You should therefore exercise caution if unknown service providers contact you by e-mail or telephone. Thanks to the user verification described above, it is generally safer to stay on a logistics platform to make arrangements and award contracts, and also to take advantage of the digital options offered there. 

If you receive e-mails from unknown senders, you can verify them in the TIMOCOM Marketplace. Simply search for the e-mail address to check whether it exists or at least matches the company’s usual contact details. Any deviation – even if it is just one letter – should make you suspicious. To verify the details, contact a user registered with TIMOCOM and inform TIMOCOM Customer Care immediately.  

Enjoy the benefits of community protection

TIMOCOM checks all users before they are authorised. In addition, a specially developed algorithm scans the freight exchange for irregularities and immediately reports suspicious activity to employees. By notifying our customer service team, you are making a valuable contribution and possibly protecting other network users from being affected by cargo crime.

The aim of our network of over 55,000 customers is to quickly identify entities that are causing harm to other users and to block them to protect other Marketplace users – whether through customer reports or digital monitoring. 

Conclusion

There can be no 100% protection against freight crime. That’s why it is all the more important to carefully check new business partners and to stick to online platforms when making arrangements and awarding contracts. To ensure even greater freight security, take advantage of the additional verification mechanisms of the TIMOCOM Marketplace and contact our customer service in the event of an incident to protect other companies from damage.

Checklist to avoid cargo theft