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WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO VERIFY A CARRIER?

Organised groups of criminals are active in the road haulage transport (especially in
CEE)
Internet databases allow loading goods to vehicles of unknown carriers
To avoid criminals known as ghost carriers, who:
Do not deliver, but steal the goods
Seize the opportunity of growing pressure on prices
Use internet databases to offer better rates
Due to pressure on increasing workload and effectiveness
PRINCIPLES OF VERIFICATION
1. Completeness
2. Consistency of information
3. Sources of information (state & other institutions)
4. Cooperation with authorities
COMPLETENESS
All available information must be checked
Also in order to prove professional selection of the carrier
Fraudsters have reached a high degree of skills
Fake identities
Infiltration of information systems of the shippier
Interventions in the information systems of goods possessor
Combination of multiple warning signs highly increases the likelihood of a potential
scam
CONSISTENCY OF INFORMATION
All the verified information must be consistent
Differencies between carrier-submitted documents and information gained from
other sources suggest some form of fraud or document forgery
We can only work with carriers without any discrepancies in the documentation
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Using well-proven and verified sources of information
Necessary to conform whether the information is guaranteed or just informative
Many sources of information are not always up-to-date
Public and government-verified resources are the best ones
INFORMATION PROVIDED BY STATE INSTITUTIONS
Limitations on the website of state institutions reduce usability of information
Changes are performed periodically, therefore information are not up-to-date
Transfer or creation of a record takes some time
Information provided by state institutions are to be considered as for information
only
Many institutions provide information only in precisely specified form, scope and only
to specified entities
INFORMATION PROVIDED BY OTHER INSTITUTIONS
Internet databases dealing with transportation of goods
RAALTRANS
TimoCom
Carriers problems with integrity may not be revealed yet
WHAT TO VERIFY?
1. Drivers identity
2. Vehicle

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3. Company
4. Position of the vehicle (if applicable)
DRIVERS IDENTITY VERIFICATION
1. Identification card
2. Passport
3. Lost and stolen personal documents
4. Driving License
5. International Driving Permit
6. Drivers signature
7. Health insurance card
8. Drivers statement
IDENTIFICATION CARD
Check the database for lost and stolen documents
Check the validity, date of issue and appearance of the person
Check the document for any damage (edges of the document and photograph and
the surface of the card)
Invalid ID card cannot be used as a proof of a persons identity
PASSPORT
Check the database for lost and stolen documents
Passports are used a lot less by the fraudsters than ID cards
Passport with expired validity is unacceptable
It is necessary to check all of the security features specified by the Ministry of
Interior of the Slovak Republic
LOST AND STOLEN PERSONAL DOCUMENTS
As mentioned before, it is suggested to check if the documents have not been stolen
(http://www.minv.sk/?stratene-a-odcudzene-doklady)
page provides the same response for a genuine document as for a document with a
non-existent number, but:
Website does not inform that a document with such a number does not exist
Fabricator could use a number and data of an existing document
Database will not include a document where the owner did not report its loss
DRIVING LICENSE
Necessary to verify personal data of the holder, date of issuance, validity, driving
licenses number, signature of the holder and safety elements
The information on the driving license must be identical to the data on the identity
card and other documents
INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT
International Driving Permits includes personal information about the holder in the
following scope:
name, surname, title,
date and place of birth of the holder,
municipality of residence and
extent of driving permits pursuant to the valid driving license
including any restriction on the scope and other restrictive conditions to drive
motor vehicles
facial image and a signature (optional)
DRIVERS SIGNATURE
Driver's signature must be compared with the signature on the identity document or
other documents

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Biometric signature can be used (capable of identifying counterfeiters with high

probability)
Comparing the driver's signature on the identity document with the signature on the
consignment note is suggested
HEALTH INSURANCE CARD
Contains personal information of the driver and can be compared with the driver's
identity card
International haulage driver spends a large part of the time on the road
Supporting document to prove the identity
DRIVERS STATEMENT
Following statement may be signed by a driver when loading in order to protect the
owner of the goods

I declare that I have been given instructions from my employer or the entity
ordering the carriage, which are fully consistent with the contents of the CMR
consignment note, number ..................... signed by me. I have not been given
any instructions and I am not aware of any facts that would suggest that the
carriage is not to be is carried out exactly according to the CMR consignment note.
I am aware that the goods loaded are the property of the consigner and only the
consigner is authorised to change the instructions concerning the carriage under
Article 12 of the CMR Convention. During the carriage, I will park in secure parking
areas listed on the IRU website. I am also aware that a as a result of providing a
false statement in this declaration, unloading the goods at a different location than
specified in the consignment note (CMR), or handing the goods over to another
entity than the consignee provided in the consignment note (CMR), I may become
an accomplice in the criminal act of fraud under Section 221, defraudation under
Section 213 of the Penal Code or a tax-related or other offence.
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VEHICLE VERIFICATION
1. Registration number of the vehicle (license plates)
2. Registration certificate & Registration card
3. Other sources
4. Euro-license

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REGISTRATION NUMBER OF THE VEHICLE (LICENSE PLATES)

Used for quick identification of the vehicle
Stolen registration number plates are often used by the perpetrators
On the website of MOI, it is possible to check whether the vehicle or its license
plates have not been stolen
REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE & REGISTRATION CARD
One of the best tools to verify the transport company
Vehicle Identificaiton Numbers (VINs) should be compared (VIN on the vehicle and
VIN provided in the registration cards)
VIN has 3 sections
WMI (vehicles manufacturer)
VDS (make/type, model, equipment, etc.)
VIS (year of manufacture or model year)
OTHER SOURCES
Websites with databases and various tools for checking vehicles
www.ltprrofit.sk
www.seka.sk

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Universal VIN decoder might be used for comparison of data between the
registraiton card and VIN number
EURO-LICENSE FOR ROAD FREIGHT TRANSPORT
Directive of the EU requires states to verify whether the enterprise still satisfies the
conditions for road freight transport
Faxed or mailed copied of Euro Licenses may be fake
Electronic Register of Road Transport Undertakings (ERRU) has been established
and is fully operational since Jan-2013 (www.erru.sk or www.mindop.sk)
COMPANYVERIFICATION
1. Extract from the Business Register
2. Extract from the Trade Register
3. FOAF
4. Telephones
5. Financial capacity
6. Liability insurance
7. Mandatory insurance of motor vehicle operator
8. Internet transport databases
EXTRACT FROM THE BUSINESS REGISTER
www.orsr.sk
Full compliance with the Trade Register of Slovak Republic, ERRU and submitted
documents is verified
Allows to determine whether there were any changes in the ownership of the
company shortly before loading
Allows verification of the seat of the company using the FOAFs website
EXTRACT FROM THE TRADE REGISTER
www.zrsr.sk
Serves for checking the compliance with information provided by the carrier
Allows verification whether the entity has got international freight transport and
forwarding included in its activities
If the company was established less than 12 months ago, it is recommended to
avoid this carrier
If the company was established from 1 to 3 years ago, it is recommended to verify
the identity with some of its clients
FOAF
www.foaf.sk (abbreviation of fried of a friend)
Allows to quickly find links between companies based on names, addresses, etc.
FINANCIAL CAPACITY
One of the conditions for obtaining the Euro License is an audit of the carriers
financial capacity (this information is almost always outdated)
Being listed in the ERRU register is not a sufficient proof of credibility
It is suggested to look for carriers debts for social and health insurance
Social insurance: debts can be checked on the website of the Social Insurance
Agency (www.socpoist.sk)
Health insurance: debts can be checked on the websites of respective health
insurance companies
Other sources: Tax Directorate, various public data gathering websites
LIABILITY INSURANCE
Adequacy and the existence of the carrier's liability insurance needs to be examined
Under legislation, there is no obligation for carriers to submit proof of liability

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insurance continuously for inspection for the ERRU

It is necessary to check:
Scope of coverage,
exclusions from insurance,
participation and claim amount
(comparison with known carriers)
MANDATORY INSURANCE OF MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATOR
One of the most important tasks when verifying a carrier
www.skp.sk website allows to check whether the license plates and type of vehicle
correspond with information on the insurance document
Also, the insurance company may be contacted to verify the validity of insurance
INTERNET TRANSPORT DATABASES
Transport databases cannot guarantee the integrity and identity of the entities that
are advertised in these databases
These databases are very often used by offenders
Internet databases dealing with transportation of goods
RAALTRANS (www.raal.sk)
TimoCom (www.timocom.sk)
TRANS EU (www.trans.eu)
These databases are not interconnected, it is necessary to check them all
POSITION OF THE VEHICLE
SIM CARD TRACKING
Many carriers offer the option to monitor their vehicles
Typical mostly for larger carriers
The tracking might be also used by their customers
WHAT TO DO WHEN THERE IS A REASONABLE SUSPICION OF FRAUD?
It is advised to contact the Police immediately (112 or 158) and make a complaint
If the goods already left the premises of the company, it is necessary to contact the
customs authorities
It is necessary to inform all insurance companies in which the consigner is insured
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION