Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
October 28, 2025
Freight Fraud Surges: Direct Thefts Overtake Email Compromises
TLDR
- Highway's Q3 2025 report reveals brokers can gain advantage by implementing identity verification to prevent direct thefts surpassing compromised emails.
- Highway blocked 605,728 fraudulent emails and identified 62,531 fake phone numbers through systematic verification of carrier identities and contact changes.
- Highway's fraud prevention makes shipping safer by protecting carriers and brokers from identity theft, reducing cargo losses that impact supply chains.
- Fraud attempts originated globally with India, Serbia, and Pakistan as top sources while California, Texas, and Florida saw highest domestic activity.
Impact - Why it Matters
This news matters because freight fraud directly impacts supply chain costs and reliability, which ultimately affects consumer prices and product availability. As fraudsters shift tactics toward direct thefts and sophisticated identity manipulation, the entire logistics ecosystem becomes more vulnerable during peak shipping seasons. The rising frequency of cargo theft—up 33% year over year according to industry data—means increased costs for businesses that get passed along to consumers through higher prices. For companies relying on freight transportation, these security breaches can mean delayed shipments, lost inventory, and compromised customer relationships. The global nature of these fraud operations, originating from countries like India, Serbia, and Pakistan while targeting domestic hubs in California, Texas, and Florida, demonstrates the sophisticated, organized nature of modern supply chain crime. As we approach holiday shipping peaks, the heightened risk for high-value commodities like consumer electronics and specialty foods means consumers could face both availability issues and price increases if these fraud trends continue unchecked.
Summary
Highway, the industry leader in Carrier Identity and proactive fraud prevention for freight brokers, has released its Q3 2025 Freight Fraud Index revealing a dramatic shift in criminal tactics within the freight industry. The report shows that direct thefts have now surpassed compromised emails and ownership-change abuse as the leading fraud vector, with rogue carriers driving a significant share of losses. Despite total theft volumes trending slightly downward from Q2, the frequency and sophistication of fraud attempts continued to climb—a particularly concerning trend as the industry heads into peak shipping season. The data highlights how bad actors are evolving their methods while maintaining focus on identity-driven attacks targeting brokers and carrier networks.
The scale of the fraud problem is staggering: Highway blocked 605,728 fraudulent email attempts and identified 62,531 fraudulent phone numbers in Q3 alone. Brokers reported 2,992 identity alerts, and Highway recorded 149 unauthorized Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration contact changes, demonstrating persistent manipulation of carrier records. Through the first three quarters of 2025, Highway has blocked 1,453,129 fraudulent email attempts, already exceeding the total of 914,719 for the full year 2024. According to Michael Grace, VP of Customer Risk Management at Highway, "Bad actors are evolving, but the most effective defenses remain rooted in the fundamentals. Teams that consistently verify identities, confirm rate confirmations through secure channels, and maintain disciplined verification practices experience dramatically fewer incidents."
The fraud operations show both global and domestic patterns, with the top countries associated with Q3 attempts being India, Serbia, and Pakistan. Domestically, California, Texas, and Florida saw the highest concentration of activity, with growing pressure in Indianapolis-area distribution hubs. Industry data from FreightWaves supports Highway's findings, reporting that in Q2, U.S cargo theft rose 33% year over year to 525 incidents. As the holiday season approaches, Highway has flagged higher risk for specific commodities including meat and seafood, frozen foods, consumer electronics, and alcoholic or specialty beverages—particularly on multi-stop routes and at high-volume consolidation points. The company recommends fundamental security controls including verifying carrier identity with trusted sources, requiring multi-factor authentication, and delivering rate confirmations only through secure channels.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by citybiz. Read the original source here, Freight Fraud Surges: Direct Thefts Overtake Email Compromises
