Fraudulent pickups the latest thing in cargo theft

Cargo theft refers to goods being stolen at any point in the transportation journey. Cargo theft has become sophisticated. Criminal groups arrange fake pickups using forged paperwork, forged credentials and counterfeit identification. Cargo theft is very low risk and very high reward.

Criminals behind cargo thefts are turning away from hijackings for low risk theft by subterfuge. Criminal networks are stealing cargo by gaining information about a carrier’s shipment from insiders, including the pick-up time and location. Then, posing as the carrier, they pick up the load by forging paperwork and replicating uniforms and company logos. When the real carrier arrives, the cargo will have already been stolen. Easily resold food and household goods are the top-targeted commodity, followed by cosmetics, vitamins and supplements, consumer electronics, copper products, cryptocurrency mining hardware, and luxury items.

In the past, cargo thieves were opportunistic. Now criminal organizations are carrying away entire shipments in broad daylight. Cargo theft in North America increased by 27% in 2024 — over US$455 million worth of goods were stolen across 3,625 reported incidents. Many insured losses are not reported. Cargo theft incidents were up more than 57% in 2023.