RISKY BUSINESS: Inside the Freight Fraud Surge
What’s Trending in 2026? Cyber threats are growing more sophisticated and operationally disruptive, with AI-assisted social engineering, automated attack frameworks, and supply-chain
inputs (from drones or seismic sensors), AI will create an interoperable network that spots threats faster than humans can,” explains Milan Luketic, chief technology officer, Birdseye Security Solutions. AI’s ability to learn may be its biggest advantage over more traditional technologies. With every load, AI-enabled solutions become better at recognizing the small, often imperceptible shifts that indicate impersonation, document manipulation, digital tampering, or coordinated theft. “That pattern-based visibility is becoming essential as criminal networks use increasingly sophisticated tactics to blend in with legitimate operations,” explains Dragon. On the flip side, Highway’s Caney advised businesses experimenting with AI to ensure they don’t inadvertently create new entry points for fraudsters. “Bad actors are innovative too. We need to stay a step ahead,” he cautioned. Process, Culture and Collaboration Matter, Too Yet, even the best tools and knowledge are not enough on their own. “Fostering integrity and security requires a balanced approach—combining technology, human expertise, and trust-based relationships,” notes Mead. “Building long-term, trusted relationships with carriers, logistics companies, and shippers creates the foundation for preventing fraud. Consistently working with reliable carriers allows businesses to develop a deeper understanding of their
operations, making it easier to detect inconsistencies or suspicious activity.” For Clonch, freight fraud requires a zero-trust mindset, where every interaction and entity is verified before trust is granted. He warned that the industry must work together and stay a step ahead of bad actors as they innovate new ways to exploit gaps. “Without industry-wide commitment, the deterrents are just too weak,” Clonch noted. On the commitment front, trade groups such as TIA are advocating for tougher regulatory oversight and improved enforcement of carrier registration and identity verification systems. The group has expanded its collaboration with the FBI to enhance information-sharing between the transportation industry and law enforcement and accelerate the reporting of incidents. One part of the partnership is TIA’s enhanced Cargo Theft & Strategic Theft Hotline, which provides a way for brokers, 3PLs, and shippers to report suspicious activity. “Real-time reports will enable the FBI to recognize crime patterns more quickly and potentially identify connections between incidents that might otherwise appear unrelated,” Burroughs notes. Looking Forward As logistics networks continue to digitize and globalize, the complexity of fraud and theft risks will likely grow. Artificial intelligence and automation bring both promise and peril: While tools like predictive analytics and machine learning can boost fraud detection, the same technologies may also be leveraged by bad actors to launch more convincing scams. For shippers and supply chain professionals, the imperative is clear: invest in layered defenses, cultivate vigilant cultures, and participate in broader industry efforts to share intelligence and strengthen guardrails.
compromise emerging as defining trends for the year ahead, according to the National Motor Freight Traffic Association’s 2026 Transportation Industry Cybersecurity Trends Report . These dynamics illustrate a threat landscape that no longer affects only back-office systems, but also physical operations and cargo integrity. The reports cautions supply chain professionals to prepare for the following: • AI-augmented attack vectors that evade traditional defenses and accelerate compromise. • Automated attack orchestration that outpaces manual detection and response. • Weaponization of legitimate access tools and APIs , expanding threat entry points. • Supply-chain trust exploitation through third-party software- as-a-service (SaaS) and integration dependencies.
• Regulatory shifts influencing operational accountability and compliance planning.
chain crime. “AI is helping fight fire with fire against the new breed of sophisticated, AI-generated fraud like indistinguishable phishing or vishing attempts,” explains Lou Amo, president, truck brokerage,
RXO. “It shifts security from reactive to predictive, using ML to spot anomalies—like
suspicious route deviations or fake credentials—before the load is lost.” “Combined with blockchain-
like technologies for identity verification and multi-sensor
34 Inbound Logistics • February 2026
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