Freight fraud concentrates on high-value, easily resold goods — electronics, pharmaceuticals, metals, food. Losses are large and insurance disputes frequently follow, because the carrier who took the load was not the carrier you contracted.
The main patterns
- Identity theft of a legitimate carrier: a fraudster uses a real operator's authority and insurance details, so verification against the register passes.
- Double brokering: the contracted carrier re-brokers the load without disclosure, and the actual carrier is unknown and uninsured.
- Fictitious pickup: a driver arrives with correct paperwork obtained from a compromised email thread, collects, and disappears.
Controls that work
- Verify operating authority with the regulator, and confirm insurance by calling the insurer on a number from the policy, not the certificate given to you.
- Call the carrier on the number in the official register, not the number in the email.
- Require driver name, licence and vehicle registration in advance, and check them physically at the gate.
- Prohibit re-brokering contractually and require written consent for any subcontracting.
- Be sceptical of rates materially below market on attractive cargo.
Email security is freight security
Much of this begins with a compromised mailbox in the chain — yours, the broker's or the customer's. The attacker reads the correspondence and inserts themselves at the right moment with correct references and terminology. Multi-factor authentication across the chain does more for cargo security than most physical measures.
If a load is lost
Notify the police and your insurer immediately, and tell the legitimate carrier whose identity was used — they are also a victim and often hold information that helps. Preserve the full email headers, the booking record and the gate footage. Speed matters: stolen cargo is usually moved and sold within days.