Yes, you read that correctly. As reported by The Associated Press this past weekend, “Swiss food giant Nestlé says about 12 tons, or 413,793 candy bars, of its KitKat chocolate brand were stolen after leaving its production site in Italy earlier this week for Poland.”
(I don’t think this is what Nestlé had in mind with its “Have a break, have a KitKat” ad campaign.)
“Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes,” Nestlé said in a statement, according to the article.
Freight fraud is no longer an occasional problem — it’s becoming systemic. Just last week, we published a guest commentary by Andrew Wimer from Descartes on this very topic (“Freight Fraud: Combatting The Growing Threat To Supply Chain Integrity”). Here are other posts we have published in the past 2 years that shine a spotlight on freight fraud:
- Freight Fraud Is Booming. So Is the Market to Stop It
- I’ve Fought Freight Fraud for 30 Years: Here’s How to Protect Your Supply Chain in 2025
- Freight Fraud: How Good Are Your Processes to Prevent It?
- Editor’s Pick: Reduce The Risk of Freight Fraud
- 3 Strategies for Shippers to Combat Rising Freight Fraud
Here in Boston, in another high-profile case, $400K of lobster was stolen in late December 2025. As reported by Alyssa Azzara at Boston 25 News, “less than two weeks before Christmas, $400,000 of lobsters were stolen from Lineage Logistics in Taunton [MA] heading to Costco locations in the Midwest, according to CEO of Rexing Companies Dylan Rexing.”
Here’s more from the article:
Rexing was responsible for hiring a trucking company to get the lobsters to the two Costco locations in Minnesota and Illinois.
“It was a fraudster or criminal who was acting as a legitimate trucking company. They went and picked up the load and at that point in time it went missing,” said Chris Burroughs, President and CEO of Transportation Intermediaries Association.
“This theft wasn’t random. It followed a pattern we’re seeing more and more, where criminals impersonate legitimate carriers using spoofed emails and burner phones to hijack high-value freight while it’s in transit,” said Rexing.
Back to the KitKat case. Two key takeaways for me:
If it can happen to Nestlé, it can happen to you too. You would expect a company like Nestlé to have strong processes and controls in place — and maybe they do. But what this highlights is that even large, sophisticated organizations are not immune, especially as fraudsters become more sophisticated and more convincing in impersonating legitimate carriers and partners.
Freight fraud is not just a North American problem — it’s a global one. The data coming out of Europe and EMEA reinforces this point. According to the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) EMEA, more than 108,000 supply chain thefts were recorded across over 110 countries in the past two years, with reported losses exceeding €1 billion — that’s the equivalent of more than €1.3m every 24 hours. In Germany alone, a full truckload disappears every three days.
What can you do to minimize the risk of becoming a freight fraud victim?
I recommend you read the posts linked above for some insights and advice, but here’s a short list of practical things you can do based on these sources:
1. Strengthen carrier vetting — before you tender the load
In many cases, fraudsters don’t break in — they get invited in by convincingly posing as legitimate carriers. That makes vetting a continuous, multi-layered process of verifying identity, authority, and equipment, not a quick one-time check.
2. Move from “trust then verify” to “verify then trust”
Fraud today is built on impersonation, exploiting the industry’s reliance on relationships and speed. Verification needs to happen upfront, especially when something feels urgent or too good to be true.
3. Implement real-time visibility and anomaly detection
Visibility is no longer just about service — it’s about security. Detecting anomalies like route deviations, tracking gaps, or unexpected changes in shipment details can help stop fraud while it’s happening, not after the loss.
4. Use risk scoring in load assignment
Not all carriers present the same level of risk, even if they meet basic requirements. Leading companies are embedding risk into tendering decisions, asking not just “Can they move the load?” but “Should they be trusted to?”
5. Train your team to spot red flags
Many fraud incidents hinge on small warning signs that are easy to miss in fast-paced environments. Training teams to recognize those signals — and empowering them to pause and escalate — adds a critical human layer of defense.
Simply put, maybe it’s time to “make a break” from outdated processes — before someone else makes a break with your freight.
