Cargo Thefts Decline, but Global Players Deploy New Tactics

“Criminal groups are targeting every link in the chain, from unsecured parking spaces and rest stops to exploitable digital freight platforms,” says Yarbrough. (Qarlos Qastilla/Getty Images)

Cargo theft is being driven by increasingly sophisticated tactics and global crime groups, even as overall supply chain crime declined in the first quarter, according to industry experts.

Verisk CargoNet reported that cargo thefts increased 7.4% from the prior year to 596 incidents, up from 555, across the United States and Canada. However, overall supply chain crime activity declined 5.3% to 767 total events. That also marked a 12.2% decrease from the fourth quarter. Estimated losses were virtually unchanged from a year earlier at $131.58 million, despite the decline in incidents.

“The overall drop in incident volume is encouraging, but the underlying data tells a more complex story,” said Keith Lewis, vice president of operations at CargoNet. “We’re watching transnational organized crime groups become the dominant force in the cargo theft landscape, with a clear preference for goods that move easily through online resale channels.”

CargoNet said the shifting trends are driving geographic changes in theft activity. The report found declines among domestic criminal organizations, particularly in Texas and the Southeast, but sustained or increased activity from organized crime groups operating out of California and the New York City metropolitan area.

“The anti-fraud tools the industry has deployed are working, they’re forcing criminals to invest more in elaborate schemes,” Lewis said. “But the shift toward credential theft and carrier impersonation means the industry needs to think beyond tender phase controls.”

Separately, the 2025 Cargo Theft Report echoed warnings of a deepening and increasingly complex global cargo theft crisis driven by criminal networks. The report, produced by BSI Consulting and TT Club, also found that trucking accounted for roughly 70% of all incidents globally.

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“Criminal groups are targeting every link in the chain, from unsecured parking spaces and rest stops to exploitable digital freight platforms,” said Jim Yarbrough, global supply chain solutions director for BSI Consulting.

The reports reflect a broader trend of cargo theft activity becoming more severe in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. Before the pandemic, activity focused largely on local gangs engaging in straightforward thefts. That has since evolved to include sophisticated, transnational criminal organizations that increasingly use strategic tactics to facilitate thefts.

“These guys pivot and they change,” said Scott Cornell, chairman of the Transported Asset Protection Association. “But the international rings remain dominant. They’re the ones that are still puppeteering the theft from overseas and one thing we see with that is they’re able to target particular types of freight.”

Cornell has also observed additional geographic shifts as activity spreads beyond traditional hot spots such as California, Texas and New Jersey. He cited a notable increase in the Northeast, where he is tracking three or four organized rings focused primarily on meat, seafood and alcohol.

“They target the freight that’s easy to sell,” Cornell said. “According to the CargoNet report, they’re seeing increases in basically cosmetics, perfumes and that kind of thing, and that makes sense. That matches what we’ve seen across the industry. But also, the geographic shifts on where these guys are operating more heavily now.”

TT Club BSI 2025 Cargo Theft Report FINAL

Cornell noted that the geographic shifts occurred despite the overall sequential decline in incidents. He credited local and federal law enforcement efforts, along with private-sector initiatives, but said the ability of criminal gangs to move quickly and target desired freight means the problem persists.

“I also think that sometimes there’s just some ups and downs,” Cornell said. “We have always seen that there will be a little bit of an ebb and flow to cargo numbers. So, until I see two or three quarters of a decline, I’m not going to get too excited. But it is positive to see a little bit of a number decline.”

TAPA Americas recently issued a warning about an emerging tactic known as Trojan Driver Scams. The scheme involves theft rings placing operatives as drivers within legitimate carriers to facilitate coordinated thefts that appear opportunistic rather than premeditated. The notice urged trucking companies to conduct thorough background checks on drivers.

READ MORE: Strategic Cargo Theft Keeps Evolving to Evade Vetting

“The new normal for the supply chain security world is sustained increases,” said Danny Ramon, director of intelligence and response at fraud monitoring and compliance specialist Overhaul. “Pre-pandemic, we used to have a Q1 lull in activity because Q4 was always the busiest time of the year for cargo theft. But that was a time when all of the data that we collected was primarily … straight theft.”

Ramon said the industry is grappling with a more varied cargo security landscape that has produced sustained increases in activity that defy traditional seasonal patterns. He cautioned, however, against focusing too heavily on emerging tactics, noting that criminals continue to rely on older methods as well.

“You’ve got to have a full layered security program,” Ramon said. “You’ve got to identify the risks and then address them individually, in rank order of where they pose the most threat or expose the greatest vulnerability.”