These days its seems that every where you turn there is some type of new scam. It can be hard to trust people when these scams appear every where that you look, but if you know what you are doing, you can spot the scams from a mile away. Auto shipping is no different. There are some auto shipping scams out there, but how do you know if the company that you have chosen to ship your car is a legitimate auto shipping company? Should you just blindly pay them, hand them the keys to your car and sit back and hope for the best? You could do this, but it never hurts to do a little bit of research on your own. It is not difficult to find out if an auto shipping company is a scam, you just have to know what to look for. Here are some tips that will help you determine whether or not the auto shipping company that you have chosen is the real deal, or a complex scam that is designed to steal your car or truck.
The Government is Watching!
The government has their hand in the auto shipping business. The entire business is regulated by them. Every single auto shipping company is required to be licensed, and obtaining this specific type of license is no easy feat. One of the prerequisites is that the auto shipping company must have a valid MC number.
What is an MC Number?
MC stands for motor carrier. A Motor Carrier or MC number is a number that is assigned to an auto transport company by the government. If the auto shipping company does not have an MC number, then stay as far away from them as possible.
Validate the MC Number
Just having an MC number is not enough. It could be that at one point in time the auto shipping company that you have chosen had a valid MC number, but now it is no longer valid. The Department of Transportation website provides an easy way to verify the MC number. All you need to do is run a search on the MC number. The results will tell you if the number is active and who it belongs to. If the auto shipping company’s name is not the same as the name that was returned by the MC number search, then it is not a good idea to use the auto shipping company.
Do More Research!
If the MC number is not enough for you, then you can always check your local Better Business Bureau. The Better Business Bureau will be able to give you a lot of information on the auto shipping company. You will be able to find out if there have been any complaints filed against the company, and whether or not they have been resolved. The Better Business Bureau can be an excellent resource for finding out whether or not the auto shipping company that you have chosen is the real deal or a scam.