In 2024 alone, freight fraud surged by 27%—and early Q1 2025 data shows the trend isn’t slowing. From phishing to stolen MCs, the tactics are evolving, and the risks are rising fast. What used to be seen as isolated incidents is now a national crisis—hurting businesses, disrupting supply chains, and raising costs for consumers across the board.
Q1 2025 at a Glance
Bad actors are getting smarter and bolder. From spoofed emails to fraudulent rate cons, here’s what Highway blocked in just Q1:
- 352,134 fraudulent inbound emails blocked
- 1,190 identity-related fraud alerts reported
- 30,921 fraudulent and spoofed phone calls stopped
- 561 login attempts from outside North America (top countries: India, Moldova, Pakistan)
- 406 unauthorized FMCSA contact changes
And that’s just what was stopped. Nationwide, cargo theft is costing companies up to $35 billion a year, according to The State of Fraud in the Industry Report by TIA.
The Leading Tactics Behind Today’s Freight Fraud
1. Compromised Email Inboxes
Fraudsters are gaining access to real carrier inboxes through phishing links disguised as load boards, factoring portals, or rate confirmations. Once in, they study the conversation history and impersonate the real dispatcher, often intercepting a load before anyone realizes.
2. Spoofed Phone Calls
Caller ID can’t always be trusted. Inbound calls often appear to come from a verified carrier, but they’re actually spoofed. If you're only verifying via phone, you’re exposed. Always make outbound calls to verified numbers listed in Highway.
3. Sold MCs and Ownership Changes
Carriers are selling authority on marketplaces, often without realizing who’s buying. Once the MC changes hands, fraudsters exploit the good reputation and sign carrier agreements to gain fast access to loads.
Looking Ahead: What to Watch in Q2
Fraud follows opportunity —and long weekends, holidays, and off-hours are prime windows for attacks. Here’s what to watch for:
- Increased spoofing of email and phone communications
- More sophisticated social engineering attacks targeting brokers and dispatchers
- Insurance fraud tied to falsified COIs
Real-Time Protection in Action
Fraud prevention is no longer optional—it’s operational. These tools are helping teams spot and stop fraud before it hits:
Secure Rate Confirmation Delivery: Eliminates the need to send sensitive load information as email attachments by securing access with multi-factor authentication ensuring that only authorized carrier personnel can view load details.
Highway for VoIP: Automatically filters spoofed and suspicious inbound calls before they ever reach your team—reducing exposure to phone-based scams.
Highway for Email: Flags lookalike email domains in real-time to help teams spot impersonators and prevent phishing clicks.
Fraud Isn’t Just Evolving. It’s Accelerating.
What we’re seeing isn’t just more fraud—it’s smarter fraud. The Freight Fraud Index reveals a growing pattern of highly targeted attacks, from spoofed emails to fake dispatchers. Awareness and early detection are now just as critical as prevention.
For the full breakdown of insights, watch the recording here.
