FBI warns of cyber enabled cargo theft costing $725 million

The FBI has issued a Public Service Announcement warning of a surge in cyber-enabled cargo theft, as hackers increasingly target brokers and carriers and impersonate legitimate businesses to hijack freight. Since 2024, attackers have used phishing emails, fake websites and compromised accounts to gain access to systems, posting fraudulent load listings to trick victims into releasing goods that are redirected and stolen for resale, with the attackers sometimes demanding ransom for shipment details.

In 2025, cargo theft losses in the U.S. and Canada reached nearly $725 million, up 60% from 2024, and the average loss per theft rose to $273,990, reflecting a shift to fewer but higher-value targets, the PSA notes. The process is a multi-step operation: compromising broker or carrier accounts, impersonating companies to post fake loads, double-brokering shipments, altering documents and delivery details, and finally diverting goods for resale.

Recent findings from Proofpoint place these activities in the hands of organised crime, illustrating a growing trend of cyber-enabled cargo theft across North America, according to FBI PSA.