FMCSA Warns Carriers About Four Fake Motus Registration Websites

FMCSA is warning motor carriers, brokers and other registrants about four fraudulent websites impersonating Motus, the agency's new USDOT registration system. FreightWaves reported the alert September 15, and FMCSA's official fraud-alert page confirms that deceptive emails are directing recipients to bogus portals for a supposedly required off-cycle profile update. The legitimate federal service is located only at motus.dot.gov.

The fake domains listed by the agency are dot.motusdatasboard.com, dot.motusdatadesk.com, dot.motuswebdeck.com and dot.motusfunction.com. The messages use the subject line 'Notice of Required Off-Cycle Update- Motus email' and promote a 'New MOTUS Portal.' FMCSA notes that Motus is not an acronym and should not appear in all capital letters. More importantly, none of the imitation addresses ends in .gov.

Carriers should not enter Login.gov credentials, USDOT information or personal data through a link in an unexpected message. Open a fresh browser window, type the official address directly and verify any request through FMCSA's published contact channels. Staff who manage registration should also be trained to inspect the full destination address before clicking, because a familiar logo or urgent deadline does not prove that an email is authentic.

FMCSA recommends reporting suspicious communications to the Federal Trade Commission, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, local law enforcement or a state attorney general. The agency's Contact Center can also confirm registration questions at 1-800-832-5660. Fleets should preserve the original message, alert coworkers and change affected credentials if anyone interacted with a fake site. This warning does not create a new filing requirement; it protects carriers from criminals exploiting a real system transition.