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A new wave of organized crime is taking aim at Americans’ holiday shopping — and their wallets.
Hacklers ancereging malware and other cybercriminal tools are entering the online commodity markets of the Internet to start with a high cargo when things are on the way.
“I think the hackers have identified that the weak point between point a and the BITS point is there, right?” Michael Evanoff, Chief Security Officer and strategic advisor for AI-Security Company, told FOX News Digital. “So instead of putting yourself in Harm’s way with a Demot or a dispatch center, why not take it on the go?”
As of 2020, both shipping companies and law enforcement have seen a surge in criminal gangs using remote, online methods to hijack cargo carriers and make off with valuable loot.
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Organized crime groups around the world are using online tools to hijack cargo trucks while transporting goods. (Stock)
“When [the COVID-19 pandemic] “Great Qew Lewis,” said Keith Lewis, Vice President of Operations at Verisk Cargonet, told FOX News Digital. After that the following year, [cases] went down again, and we thought we were normal. “
“After that, with the tools and techniques the bad guys learned from Covid, it’s almost like they took a year off, went to school, and put it back. They [started] He uses the Internet to commit acts of fraud, compared to the development of just the traditional theft of stealing a truck at a truck stop or rest area – and when the fraud began to move. “
The current year has seen an increase in baggage losses across the country, with $318 million lost from stolen goods documented, according to details released by verisk Cargonet. Additionally, the data shows the average value of stolen shipments has been released at $278,797.
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More than $318 million in losses from stolen goods have been recorded by companies across the United States since the beginning of 2025, according to data released by Verisk Cargonet. (Stock)
The process of stealing goods is made easier for thieves, thanks to modern internet tools and artificial intelligence. Cybercriminals often turn to online load boards – an online marketplace where companies and truckers can share information about upcoming shipments – to decide which vehicles they want to target.
“You can get the load, or the driver and the company can get the load to move their equipment,” Lewis said. “That’s where the big problem comes in. We don’t know who we’re talking to on the other end – I wouldn’t even say a phone line – but the other end of a computer network.”
From there, criminals will create an online account and impersonate the truck driver or company to get more information about the shipment. Additionally, companies are now using artificial intelligence to install payloads and drivers, making it much easier for hackers to trick software into thinking they are legitimate.
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Criminal gangs will use Internet cargo boards to identify the routes of vehicles promising to steal, eventually extorting drivers with false documents and taking goods overseas. (Stock)
“The goodbye process almost went out the window,” Lewis told Fox News Digital. “So you think about, well, who’s inventing this truck, making sure it’s the right truck or the right driver? Nobody’s there.”
When criminals identify the contents and location of a specific cargo truck, they will block an unspecified vehicle with a false identification to trick the driver into carrying their belongings.
“This cannot work without the human and cyber element,” Evanoff told Fox News Digital. “Basically you meet a truck with no name on it. So [criminals] You go online, then go back with the person in the truck to pick up the load at the designated online location. “
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As of 2020, both shipping companies and law enforcement have seen a surge in criminal groups using remote, online methods to hijack shipments. (Stock)
The holiday season also serves as a prime opportunity for thieves to target regular shipments.
In the 2024 Thanksgiving season, there were a record 78 reported cases of cargo shipping within the United States, marking a 65% increase from the previous year and accounting for $9.5 million in losses of $9.5 million. according to details released by verisk Cargonet.
Consumer goods are the top targets for thieves, followed by household goods and electronic devices, data shows.
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In addition, the data from the Cargonet of Verisk City Metropolitan of the area has become a cheap place for criminal groups looking to send the wrong while on foot, countries such as California, Florida and Texas also serve as a catalyst for the cargo.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Tourism (dot) sent a notice Asking participants to share comments regarding how the federal government can best develop strategies to reduce baggage theft, signing grener the high-level law enforcement officials.
The DOT added that all forms of cargo theft “cause significant economic losses, disrupt supply chains, and in some cases support broader activities such as narcotics, counterfeiting and human trafficking.”
The national security aspect of the targeting of Cartercriming is the shipment of Lewis, who explained that criminal rings often send stolen goods into the country – or sell goods to Americans who believe they are buying legitimate.
“We’ve followed these groups in 40-plus countries,” Lewis told Fox Digital News.
Lewis added that once the items are taken abroad or sold to buyers, they cannot be found by law enforcement.
“The bad guys have put a hold on some assets overseas,” Lewis said. “When they arrived [ocean] With these goods, they cannot be stolen. No tracking. They can move freely in their country and around the world without hesitation. “
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At the moment, research companies are more focused on identifying the habits of criminal groups by conducting surveillance of their networks, which means that few arrests have been recorded. However, experts warn that while well-wishers have access to technology to track down thieves, criminals also have access.
“The puncher chain moves at the speed of light,” Lewis said. “But the Bad-Guy Supply Chain moves very quickly.”
