Your vehicle could be worth thousands, yet in the wrong hands, one fake shipping company, one suspicious deposit request, or one “too good to be true” quote can turn a routine car shipment into a financial nightmare. Across Canada, more drivers are falling victim to car shipping scams involving hidden fees, fake carriers, disappearing brokers, and vehicles that never arrive when promised.
Whether you’re relocating, buying a car online, heading south for the season, or shipping a luxury vehicle across the country, knowing how to spot red flags before handing over your keys is just as important as choosing the right transport method. At Hansen’s, transparency, communication, and vehicle security are at the core of every shipment. In this blog, we’ll uncover some of the most common car shipping scams in Canada, how they work, and what smart vehicle owners should look for before booking transport.
Before you book a vehicle transporter, it helps to know the most frequent red flags. These patterns show up time and again and can signal a scam rather than a legitimate auto shipping provider.
• Bait and switch pricing: A company offers an unrealistically low quote, then jacks it up, using excuses like “last minute fuel surcharges” or “new route fees.” A reputable company will provide clear, consistent pricing before pickup.
• The upsell scam: A carrier promises a cheap rate, asks for your credit card information over the phone, and then raises the price after they take your vehicle. This puts you in a vulnerable position: your car is already in their hands.
• Fake buyers or sellers: Fraudsters pose as buyers or sellers, send bounced cheques, and direct you to what looks like a legitimate shipping site. Once you pay, the website and the “shipper” disappear.
• No physical address or history: Scammers often use only a P.O. box, generic email addresses, or temporary websites. They may lack a clear company history, outdated contact pages, or missing licensing information.
Being aware of these tactics helps you spot danger early and steer toward reliable providers like Hansen’s.
To protect yourself, watch for these clear warning signs when researching a car shipping company:
• Prices that seem too good to be true.
• No clear company information, licensing, or safety certifications.
• Reluctance or refusal to provide written contracts or invoices.
• Payment demands via gift cards, wire transfers, or third party “escrow” sites that nobody can verify.
• No office address, only a P.O. box.
• Aggressive pressure to pay quickly, “before the truck is gone”.
If any of these red flags appear, pause and dig deeper before sending money or delivering your vehicle. Hansen’s, by contrast, operates with transparency, clear terms, and verifiable proof of performance.
Knowing how to vet a shipper is just as important as knowing the scams. A reputable vehicle shipping company should meet several basic standards, and Hansen’s meets or exceeds them all.
• Physical offices and long standing presence: Hansen’s has operated since 1980 and maintains physical offices across Canada, including key locations in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, and Vancouver. These brick and mortar operations show stability and a real commitment to service, not a fly by night operation.
• Full service, in house operations: Hansen’s is not a broker. We manage auto shipping, oversized vehicle shipping, cross border car shipping, fleet shipping, electric vehicle shipping, and rail shipping with our own fleet of over 300 carriers. Our in house dispatch, claims, and customer service teams stay in control of every shipment, increasing accountability and reducing the risk of fraud.
• Verified reviews and safety records: Reading genuine reviews on Google, Facebook, and industry platforms helps confirm quality. Hansen’s has earned various recognition and a strong reputation for safety and on-time delivery, supported by public safety records and clear complaint-handling procedures.
These factors make it far easier to trust Hansen’s with your vehicle than a faceless online flyer promising miracle pricing.
A trustworthy car shipping company offers clear, secure payment options and never pressures you to pay in unusual ways. Hansen’s accepts major credit cards. This gives you a clear paper trail and dispute options if anything goes wrong.
Hansen’s also maintains a dedicated in house claims department, so if an issue ever arises, you deal with our team directly, not with third party brokers or unknown subcontractors. We follow strict safety and security protocols, including secure yards, trained drivers, and transparent tracking, all designed to protect your vehicle and your payment.
From our fleet size and partnerships with major rail lines to our decades of experience and strict safety practices, Hansen’s offers transparent pricing and secure payment options to simplify the process and reduce your risk. If you’re ready to ship your vehicle with a company that puts safety and honesty first, contact Hansen’s today for a free quote and see how we can move your car securely and on schedule.
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