{"id":83746,"date":"2026-02-10T10:09:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T13:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/891032959"},"modified":"2026-02-10T10:09:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T13:09:33","slug":"cargo-crime-goes-digital-as-fraud-and-ai-replace-truck-stop-theft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/10\/cargo-crime-goes-digital-as-fraud-and-ai-replace-truck-stop-theft\/","title":{"rendered":"Cargo crime goes digital as fraud and AI replace truck-stop theft"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Freight crime is no longer dominated by smash-and-grab thefts or hijackings at truck stops. Instead, cargo crime is becoming increasingly digital, targeted and globally orchestrated \u2013 and many carriers should choose digital partners wisely.<\/p>\n

According to Joe Ohr, chief operating officer at the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA), the LTL industry is seeing a sharp rise in what he describes as \u201cdigital-enabled cargo theft\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mr Ohr told The Loadstar<\/em> on the sidelines of Manifest in Las Vegas this week: \u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing now is not physical theft in the traditional sense. It\u2019s fraud. It\u2019s phishing. It\u2019s AI. It\u2019s criminals knowing exactly where the cargo is, what it is, and how to intercept it.\u201d<\/p>\n

High-profile thefts reported in the media often obscure how the cargo is actually being stolen, he added. \u201cThese aren\u2019t guys with guns anymore. It\u2019s much more strategic. It\u2019s pilfering specific data rather than smash-and-grab.\u201d<\/p>\n

NMFTA has identified a shift not only in tactics, but also in the type of freight being targeted. While electronics were once a primary focus, criminals are increasingly stealing easily resold goods, such as energy drinks, food products, nuts, and seafood.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re looking for things they can sell quickly,\u201d said Mr Ohr. \u201cThey\u2019re not glamorous, so they\u2019re less likely to be prosecuted aggressively.\u201d<\/p>\n

The threat is also increasingly international. While thefts are often executed locally, Mr Ohr said the intelligence and cyber-fraud elements were frequently orchestrated offshore.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing this follow the same paths as cybercrime. The hacking may come from overseas, with local actors carrying it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

For carriers racing to digitise operations, the challenge is balancing efficiency with security, and Mr Ohr urged companies not to abandon digital transformation, just to approach it more cautiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cChoose your partners wisely,\u201d he said. \u201cYour vendors are your partners, and you\u2019re only as strong as your weakest link. Cybersecurity has to be in their DNA, not an afterthought.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also warned against removing humans entirely from operational processes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf something doesn\u2019t seem right \u2013 a strange reroute, a sudden instruction \u2013 pick up the phone,\u201d he said. \u201cYou need at least one human element. We\u2019ve seen cases where companies were shipping laptops to people who weren\u2019t even employees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another common mistake is failing to involve IT teams early enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cOperations want to move fast and see IT as a barrier,\u201d Mr Ohr said. \u201cBut IT is there to ask the \u2018what ifs\u2019. That\u2019s what protects you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Mr Ohr said, awareness alone was not enough, adding: \u201cPeople know this is an issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just don\u2019t always take the right precautions. And in today\u2019s environment, you have to assume someone out there has bad intent \u2013 and plan accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… at truck stops. Instead, cargo<\/span> crime is becoming increasingly digital … officer at the National Motor Freight<\/span> Traffic Association (NMFTA), the … describes as \u00e2\u0080\u009cdigital-enabled cargo<\/span> theft\u00e2\u0080\u009d. Mr Ohr told\u00c2\u00a0 … cases where companies were shipping<\/span> laptops to people who …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83746\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}