Hackers are stealing entire truckloads of cargo by phishing freight brokers - $725 million in losses last year alone, FBI warns

The FBI issued a public service announcement Wednesday warning that cyber-enabled cargo theft has surged 60% to $725 million in losses across the US and Canada in 2025. The pattern: criminals phish freight brokers and carriers via spoofed emails, install remote-monitoring software like ScreenConnect or Pulseway, then post fraudulent listings on freight load boards under the broker's identity. Real shippers respond, hand over high-value cargo, and the load is diverted to criminal-controlled drivers. The average theft is now $273,990 - a 36% jump from 2024. Cargo theft also funds drug trafficking and money laundering, not just direct resale.

Check

If your organization ships, brokers, or carries freight, verify every shipment request through a second channel (phone call to a known number, not an email reply) before releasing cargo or accepting a new load.

Affected

US and Canadian shipping brokers, freight carriers, and shippers using online load boards. Particularly acute for mid-sized brokers with limited IT staff - they're easier to phish and have less monitoring of remote access tools. Food, beverage, and consumer goods shipments are most targeted because they're easy to resell.

Fix

Verify shipment requests through a second channel. Enforce MFA on load board accounts and email accounts. Monitor for unauthorized remote-monitoring software installs (ScreenConnect, Pulseway, SimpleHelp) on broker workstations - these are the standard attacker toolkit. Audit email for suspicious mailbox rules that auto-forward or auto-delete. File incidents with IC3 alongside police reports.