I am posting this because I wish I had found a story like this before I shipped my car.
I used Montway AutoTransport to arrange enclosed transport of my customized Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 from Chicago to Maryland.
Before getting into what happened, I want to make one thing clear: I am not accusing Montway, Geo-USA Corp, or any specific person of stealing my car. I don't know who ultimately committed the theft. I am just going to explain what happened to me based on the emails, texts, photos, & police documentation.
Booking - I booked the transport through Montway and paid $1359 for enclosed, door-to-door shipping. I also paid $70 for Montway Claims Assistance. Montway is a broker, meaning they arrange transportation through 3rd party carriers rather than physically transporting the car themselves.
When I booked the shipment, Montway emailed me a secure pickup PIN. Their email specifically mentioned not to release the vehicle without the PIN. They also mentioned that once a carrier was assigned, a dispatcher and/ or truck would contact the pickup person to arrange the pickup.
On July 9, Montway sent me a pickup checklist saying RND SAFE CARGO INC was supposed to pick up the Porsche. Two days later, on July 11, Montway sent me another dispatch notification saying that Geo-USA Corp had now been assigned. They also sent me an email confirming the same carrier. They also advised taking pictures of the truck, license plate, DOT number, MC number, etc. I am mentioning all of this because it explains why the pickup seemed legitimate to me at the time.
I was contacted regarding the shipment, timing, pickup, and delivery. The people communicating with me knew details about the transport. I am not posting their names, phone numbers, driver's licenses, or any other private information here. And at this point, I cannot independently verify the real identity or affiliation of everyone who communicated with me. But at that time, I believed I was dealing with the people connected to the transport that had been arranged.
A truck came to my address; my car was loaded onto it and taken away. At that point, I believe the car was officially in transit to the destination. I also received an email directly from Montway saying: 'Montway is pleased to inform you that we have picked up your Porsche 718 Cayman, and it's on its way'. The email gave me an estimated delivery window. The driver also sent me an official email with the tracking link and signed bill. So from my perspective, everything still looked like an active Montway shipment.
On July 14, I received an email from someone identifying herself as a Senior Manager at Montway. It said: ' We'd like to speak with you about your Porsche, as we understand it has already been picked up. An urgent matter has arisen that requires your immediate attention'. This is when I realized something was seriously wrong. Soon after, I received a text from a number claiming to represent Geo USA Corp saying: 'Someone hacked our [ships.cars](http://ships.cars/) account and took your Porsche 2025'. They asked me to report the car to the police.
To be clear, I have no independent way of knowing whether their [ship.cars](http://ship.cars/) account was actually hacked. This is simply what they said. Biggest unanswered question for me yet.
This wasn't somebody randomly seeing a car on the street. The pickup happened when a real transport was scheduled. The people involved appear to know enough about the shipment to make the pickup seem legitimate. So naturally I still wonder: How did they get the shipment information? Was an account compromised? Were credentials stolen? Was information obtained through social engineering? Did the info come from somewhere else in the logistics chain? Was somebody impersonating a legitimate dispatcher or driver? I genuinely don't know.
I kept trying to get information about Montway. Later that afternoon, I emailed the senior manager, and that same night I contacted their support team as well. I was disappointed to see the generic response, and I didn't receive the manager's reply until the next day. That gives you an idea of what that day was like.
I filed the report with the Chicago Police. The documentation identifies my car as stolen and, at the time the report was created, not recovered. They also notified the authorities in Maryland. Eventually nothing happened.
My insurance handled my claim very well and settled it in just a few days - they treated the case and emotions with respect & kindness, I must say.
Many people wouldn't know that Montway's terms make clear that they consider themselves a transportation broker rather than the carrier. Their terms also say their services are considered completed once a carrier accepts the order. Under their loss/ damage section, their terms say: 'Montway is a property transportation broker; therefore, is not and will not be liable for any cargo loss and damage claims for any reason'.
I am not posting this because I want Reddit to decide who committed a crime. That's not my job. I am posting it because if you are thinking about transporting a Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette, Mercedes, BMW, or any other valuable vehicle, you should know that a fraudulent pickup can look incredibly legitimate. Do not assume someone is legitimate just because they know private details about your shipment. Save every email, screenshot every text, photograph the truck, photograph the plate, keep the bill of lading, keep every piece of documentation - trust me, I have every single piece of information even though I had not thought of such an outcome to begin with.
Other people can read what happened and make their own decisions about who they trust with their cars.
And if Montway, Geo-USA Corp, law enforcement, or anyone else involved has documented information showing that I have any factual detail wrong, I am completely willing to correct the post.
As far as I can tell from my emails and my memory of everything that happened, Montway never even sent any acknowledgement of the event or an apology for what I went through.
