Report: Cargo Theft Down for Quarter, But Criminals Are Getting More Savvy

A new report shows 767 supply chain crime events across the U.S. and Canada in the first quarter of the year, down 5.3% from the same period a year ago and down 12.2% the fourth quarter of 2025.

However, a Verisk CargoNet report out on Friday shows that despite there being fewer incidents, estimated losses reached about $131.6 million, a figure that is unchanged from the same period in 2025.

CargoNet reported reduced activity from domestic criminal organizations, particularly in busy areas like Texas and the Southeast, combined with sustained or growing activity by organized crime groups in California and the New York City metropolitan area.

Most of the top states for cargo theft saw year‑over‑year declines. However, California incidents rose from 255 to 277, and New Jersey incidents rose from 27 to 59. Both states are prime environments for organized crime networks, with dense logistics infrastructure and ample major consumer markets, the report shows.

The biggest increase in types of good stolen came in the personal care and beauty products area, from 18 events in the first quarter of 2025 to 50 during the same period this year. The report shows this was driven by cargo thefts of cosmetics and fragrances, predominantly in the Northeast. Food and beverage, the top category at 144 events, saw beverage theft fall while seafood targeting climbed sharply.

Impersonation‑based theft was the most significant development in the first quarter of the year. Anti‑fraud efforts across the industry have been effective, but that success is driving the next wave of innovation by criminals seeking to evade those efforts, the report shows.

Criminals looking to bypass fraud-tools are impersonating legitimate motor carriers and logistics broker through credential harvesting via phishing campaigns and remote access trojans to compromise business email accounts, internet‑based phone systems, and industry applications that carriers and brokers use to find shipments and verify their identity. Another method is the acquisition of motor carrier businesses. Criminals are purchasing legitimate carriers through social media, peer‑to‑peer marketplaces and specialized brokerage services in sales that remain frequent and largely unregulated, according to the CargoNet report.

The company said it expects impersonation-based fraud and the exploitation of legitimate carrier identities to remain central to cargo theft activity in the coming quarters.

Topics
Trends
Fraud
Trucking