A mong the many challenges facing the supply chain today, few generate more buzz than freight fraud and cargo theft. And for good reason—this one-two punch is exacting a growing toll on logistics networks, emerging as one of the most significant risk factors for shippers, carriers, and brokers across the globe. From physical theft of freight in transit to increasingly sophisticated financial and identity scams, the threat landscape has expanded dramatically over the past several years. Experts say the problem isn’t stabilizing; it’s evolving. Recent industry research underscores the scale of the challenge. Since 2021, organized theft has increased by more than 1,500%, with estimated annual losses up to $35 billion, notes Chris Burroughs, president and CEO, Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA). TIA’s 2025 State of Fraud in the Industry report shows that truckload freight remains the top target of fraud, with an overwhelming 97% of respondents identifying it as the most fraud-prone mode ( see graphic, right ). Nearly every participating company reported experiencing multiple types of fraud in a recent six-month period, and unlawful brokerage—where bad actors pose as legitimate brokers to steal loads or payments—was the most commonly cited scam. Spoofing, identity theft, phishing, fictitious pickups, and impersonation were also prevalent, showing that the threat landscape remains varied and sophisticated. Top Concern: The Bottom-Line Impact Estimated losses from supply chain crime incidents surged to nearly $725 million in 2025, a 60% increase from 2024, according to new data from Verisk CargoNet. The analysis also shows the average value per theft rose to $273,990, up 36% from $202,364 in 2024.
The implications far exceed isolated losses. Fraud and theft erode margins, disrupt operations, and threaten the reliability of partner networks. “Every stolen load represents not merely a financial loss, but also a threat to a shipper’s reliability,” says Burroughs. “As shippers and their customers expect precision, transparency, and resilience, a stolen load can result in potentially SPOTLIGHT: 2025 STATE OF FRAUD Logistics fraud has become a national crisis—hurting businesses, driving up costs for consumers, and showing no signs of slowing.
irreparable damage to reputations, revenues, and jobs.” “Fraud is no longer just about the freight—it’s about exploiting every weak link in the chain,” noted Kevin Clonch, Ryder’s group director, global transportation procurement, during a 2025 Inbound Logistics webinar, “Stop Freight Fraud Before it Starts: Proven Tactics for Vetting and Control,” which also featured carrier vetting platform Highway. Data bears out Clonch’s sentiment. A recent index published by Highway finds that scammers attempted hundreds of thousands of sophisticated fraud attacks in the first quarter of 2025 alone. These attempts included compromised email accounts, caller ID spoofing, and unauthorized access attempts—all tactics aimed at gaining control of freight or carrier networks. Shippers, freight brokers, and carriers report significant losses from this new wave of sophisticated crime: The 2025 TIA survey shows 22% of respondents lost more than $200,000 due to fraud in the past six months, and another 10% spent more than $200,000 on prevention efforts. A New Wave of Criminal “Criminal groups aren’t relying on chance anymore; they’re operating like disciplined enterprises. They study how freight moves, identify weak points in the process, and strike when visibility drops or communication slows,” explains Nolan Dragon, sales team lead at Tive. These sophisticated bad actors can exploit even the slightest oversight, he notes: “They might swap a lowercase ‘i’ with an uppercase ‘I’ in a domain name to make a phishing email or BOL appear authentic.” The challenge isn’t just preventing theft; it’s recognizing the early signals that indicate something is off, long before the truck moves. “Shippers and carriers must now turn to tools that authenticate identities, validate
$35 Billion Cargo theft remains the most costly form of fraud, with the National Insurance Crime Bureau estimating annual losses up to $35 billion.
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97% of survey respondents say truckload freight is the most vulnerable.
$200K Nearly 1 in 4 companies lost more than $200K to fraud in just six months. Most victims are small businesses making less than $5M a year.
Source: TIA
February 2026 • Inbound Logistics 31
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