Let’s step away from all the AI talk for a moment to focus on a growing problem in the supply chain and logistics industry: cargo theft.
According to the Freight Fraud Index published recently by Highway, “Fraud volume reached an all-time high in Q1 2026, and every major indicator accelerated year over year. Highway blocked over 527,000 fraudulent email attempts in Q1 — a 49.9% increase from Q1 2025 — and flagged 2,256 identity alerts, up 89.6% from the same period last year. Change-of-ownership reports surged most dramatically, climbing 169.6% as bad actors continued exploiting MC transfers to establish seemingly legitimate authorities. The pattern is consistent across channels: fraud groups are scaling operations across digital and physical vectors simultaneously, and the pace is accelerating.”
“Behind the numbers, a deeper shift is underway,” the report adds. “New federal licensing rules are reshaping the carrier population, and the instability is creating openings that fraudsters are calculated enough to exploit. As produce season drives freight volumes higher through Q2, the commodities fraudsters target most — meat, seafood, and electronics — will move in even greater volume through the corridors where theft activity is already concentrated.”
Freight fraud and cargo theft have become such serious problems that they’ve caught the attention of mainstream media. Last month, for example, the television news program 60 Minutes aired a segment titled, “Risk on the Road.” Here is how the reporter introduced the segment:
Tonight, the results of an eight-month investigation into a dangerous scheme many Americans have never heard of. A scheme that may be putting all of us at risk on the road. Our investigation took us to truck stops in Florida and sources in Europe to examine what are called chameleon carriers. Commercial trucking fleets often foreign-owned and operated that shed one identity for another after racking up flagrant safety violations and flouting federal regulations.
Our reporting focused on Super Ego Holding, a network of commercial trucking and leasing companies based in Serbia and the US. It’s currently under federal investigation and named in a class action lawsuit. Regulators and former employees call it one of the most notorious chameleon schemes, a ticking time bomb on our nation’s roadways.
You can watch the full segment below:
Last October, 60 Minutes also aired a segment on how trucks carrying 24,000 bottles of Santo Tequila, a brand founded by Food Network host Guy Fieri and former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, were stolen in 2024.
When 60 Minutes airs two segments focused on freight fraud and cargo theft within six months, it’s a clear sign this problem has reached a new level of seriousness.
Even Congress is finally paying attention.
Last week, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan Combating Organized Retail Crime (CORCA) Act (H.R. 2853) by a vote of 348 to 60. Here is an excerpt of the summary of the bill:
This bill expands federal enforcement of criminal offenses related to organized retail and supply chain crime. The term organized retail and supply chain crime includes criminal offenses involving the interstate transportation of stolen property, the sale or receipt of stolen goods, or theft from an interstate or foreign shipment that is committed by, in coordination with, or at the instruction of an organization.
First, with respect to criminal offenses involving the interstate transportation of stolen property or the sale or receipt of stolen goods, the bill broadens the scope of conduct that qualifies as offenses by allowing prosecutions to be based on the aggregate value of stolen items over a 12-month period. Additionally, the bill makes the offenses predicate offenses (i.e., underlying offenses) for prosecutions under the federal money laundering statute and authorizes the criminal forfeiture of any property obtained from the proceeds of an offense.
Second, with respect to criminal offenses involving theft from an interstate or foreign shipment, the bill also makes an offense an underlying offense for prosecution under the federal money laundering statute and authorizes the criminal forfeiture of any associated property.
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration before being sent to the President to be signed into law.
The real question is: Are you taking this problem seriously — and doing something about it?
If you’re a longtime follower of Talking Logistics, you know we’ve written extensively on this topic over the past two years:
- 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
In my most recent post — “Cargo Thieves Make A Break With 413,793 KitKat Bars — And What It Says About Freight Fraud” — published in March 2026, I provide a short list of practical things you can do to minimize the risk of becoming a freight fraud victim.
Take a look at those recommendations. Because in today’s freight market, hoping you won’t become a victim is not a strategy.
