Cargo Thefts Hold Steady in Third Quarter, but Stolen Value Hits a Record $111.88 Million

CargoNet, a Verisk business, recorded 772 cargo theft events across the United States and Canada in the third quarter of 2025, according to an analysis dated October 28, 2025. That was 1% more than in the third quarter of 2024 and 10% fewer than in the second quarter of 2025.

While the number of thefts held roughly steady, their value reached a record. Stolen goods totaled $111.88 million in the quarter, and the average stolen shipment was worth $336,787, about double the $168,448 average a year earlier. CargoNet said organized crime groups were going after enterprise computer hardware, cryptocurrency mining equipment and copper products.

New York metro becomes a hotspot

Thefts in California rose 11% and in Texas 12% from a year earlier. The sharpest jump came around New York City: incidents in New Jersey rose 110% and in Pennsylvania 33%.

"The NYC metro area is emerging as both a primary location for theft activity and a destination for stolen goods," said Keith Lewis, CargoNet's vice president of operations. "Organized crime groups are exploiting the region's dense logistics network and proximity to major consumer markets."

Two directions in criminal tactics

CargoNet said some groups were giving up complex schemes such as proof-of-delivery fraud and authority takeovers in favor of simply stealing unattended, loaded trailers, especially in Southern California, the Bay Area, Phoenix and Lake Tahoe.

Others were refining fraud. Because most anti-fraud tools focus on the moment a load is tendered, these groups used social engineering to learn about shipments already assigned to legitimate carriers, including the brokerage, the motor carrier and the names of contacts at each. Then they impersonated company representatives to redirect drivers to fraudulent addresses. CargoNet said it expected those tactics to grow in the fourth quarter as criminals mined public load board data.

What was taken

Food and beverage led all categories with 170 theft events, followed by household goods with 92 and metals with 65. Meat and seafood thefts rose 189%, from 18 events to 52, and copper thefts grew from 10 to 47. CargoNet also noted a modest uptick in thefts of games and toys heading into the holidays.

"As criminal tactics evolve, so must our collective defense," Lewis said.

What it means for drivers and fleets

The impersonation tactic puts drivers on the front line. A call or message that appears to come from the broker or the driver's own dispatcher, using correct names and load details, can be enough to send a truck to the wrong address. Drivers and dispatchers had reason to confirm any change of delivery location through a known phone number. Unattended loaded trailers in the hotspots CargoNet named were at particular risk, and carriers hauling electronics, copper, meat or seafood faced heightened exposure. CargoNet advised reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement first.