--- title: "Cargo Fraud Defense — Stop Cargo Theft & Freight BEC | EFROS" description: "Protect your carrier, freight brokerage, 3PL, or moving company from cyber-enabled cargo theft, fictitious pickups, double brokering, and BEC payment fraud. EFROS delivers email-first managed security and a Cargo Fraud Defense Assessment built for US transportation SMBs." canonical: https://efros.com/cargo-fraud-defense/ --- - [Home](https://efros.com/) - /Cargo Fraud Defense Cargo Fraud Defense / Transportation & Logistics # One compromised dispatcher inbox = one stolen truckload. We stop that. Cyber-enabled cargo theft is now the dominant freight-theft vector in the US. Attackers compromise broker and carrier email accounts, post fraudulent load-board listings, impersonate legitimate carriers, and reroute loads without a physical break-in. EFROS provides email-first managed security and a Cargo Fraud Defense Assessment built specifically for carriers, freight brokers, 3PLs, and moving companies. By [Stefan Efros](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanefros-cyberdefense/), CEO & Founder, EFROS Updated · May 30, 2026 Get the Cargo Fraud Defense Assessment[Logistics & Transportation security](https://efros.com/industries/logistics/) [Download the one-pager (PDF)](https://efros.com/downloads/resources/cargo-fraud-defense-onepager.pdf) The threat landscape ## The numbers behind cyber-enabled cargo theft Attackers compromise broker and carrier email through phishing and credential reuse, then post fraudulent load-board listings under legitimate MC numbers, impersonate established carriers, and reroute high-value loads. No warehouse breach. No armed driver. Just a spoofed email and a fake carrier packet. ### $725M cargo theft losses in 2025 +60% year-over-year, according to Verisk CargoNet's 2025 annual report. Cyber-enabled theft is now the fastest-growing loss category. ### +1,500% strategic theft since 2022 Fictitious pickups, double brokering, and document fraud have surged. Attackers no longer need a bolt cutter — they need a spoofed email domain. ### $273,990 average value per theft +36% from the prior year. High-value loads (electronics, pharmaceuticals, food) are systematically targeted because the ROI for attackers is exceptional. ### FBI / IC3 PSA — April 30, 2026 The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center issued a public service announcement warning of a surge in cyber-enabled strategic cargo theft targeting US carriers and brokers. The assessment ## What the Cargo Fraud Defense Assessment covers A structured, attacker-perspective review of the six control areas that determine whether a carrier or broker can stop cyber-enabled cargo theft before a load ships to the wrong destination. ### NodeZero autonomous penetration test An attacker-perspective view of every externally reachable system. Confirms which vulnerabilities are actually exploitable in your environment, not just theoretically scored. ### Email / BEC defense audit Full DMARC, SPF, and DKIM configuration review against your sending domains. We verify enforcement posture (p=reject vs p=none) and identify spoofable gaps before fraudsters do. ### External attack-surface & exposure scan Passive reconnaissance of your external perimeter: open ports, exposed services, subdomain inventory, and any credentials or documents indexed by OSINT sources. ### Microsoft 365 tenant hardening review Conditional access policies, MFA coverage, mail-flow rules that could be abused for BEC, and inbox-rule backdoors that attackers plant after initial compromise. ### Dark-web & credential-leak check Checks whether your dispatcher, broker, or admin credentials are already circulating on paste sites and criminal markets before an attacker uses them. ### Broker / shipper / cyber-insurance gap check Many shippers and insurers now require documented security controls. We map your current posture against those requirements and surface gaps that affect your coverage or contract eligibility. The program ## From assessment to always-on defense The assessment produces a prioritized findings list. From there, we deploy the controls that close the gaps — starting with email because that is where virtually every cargo fraud engagement begins. ### AI anti-BEC email security Stops carrier impersonation, payment-change fraud, and load-tender spoofing — the exact email attacks that enable fictitious pickups and misdirected wire transfers. ### DMARC enforcement Enforces p=reject on your sending domains so fraudsters cannot spoof your company name in emails to shippers, brokers, or factors. Monitored and maintained, not set-and-forgotten. ### Payment-change & load-tender verification process A documented call-back verification procedure for any payment-change request or new-carrier tender. Eliminates the single most common social-engineering vector in freight BEC. ### 24/7 MDR / SOC Continuous monitoring across endpoints, email, and network. When a dispatcher inbox is compromised, we detect and contain it in minutes, not after the load has shipped to the wrong location. ### Zero-trust network access (ZTNA) Identity-verified access to your TMS, dispatch, and load-board systems. No open RDP, no VPN with shared credentials — two of the most common ransomware entry points in trucking. ### Immutable backup & TMS continuity Air-gapped, ransomware-resilient backups for your TMS, dispatch records, and driver documentation. After an attack, you keep dispatching instead of going dark for days. ## EFROS Cargo Fraud Defense vs a generic IT provider A generic IT provider is optimized for keeping computers running. Cargo fraud defense requires understanding the freight workflow, the attack vectors specific to transportation, and the controls that actually interrupt them. | Dimension | Generic IT provider | EFROS | | --- | --- | --- | | Email / BEC focus | Antivirus + spam filter | AI anti-BEC + impersonation defense — the #1 cargo-fraud vector addressed specifically | | DMARC enforcement | Rarely deployed, almost never enforced to p=reject | Enforced to p=reject, monitored continuously | | Fictitious-pickup / double-brokering awareness | Not in scope for a generic IT provider | Built into detection content and verification process by design | | TMS / dispatch continuity | Generic backup with no transportation-specific RTO | Immutable backup + ransomware resilience so you keep dispatching after an attack | | Cyber-insurance & broker requirements | Client's problem to figure out | Mapped and evidenced — gaps identified before they affect your coverage or contract eligibility | ## One stolen load costs more than the entire assessment. At $273,990 average value per theft — plus the cost of halted dispatch, customer claims, insurance friction, and reputational damage — a single successful cargo fraud event dwarfs the cost of a Cargo Fraud Defense Assessment. The assessment is cheap insurance. The stolen load is not. Get the Cargo Fraud Defense Assessment ## Frequently asked questions What is cyber-enabled cargo theft? + Cyber-enabled cargo theft uses digital attacks — primarily email compromise, identity fraud, and document forgery — rather than physical force to steal freight. An attacker compromises a broker or carrier email account, posts a fraudulent load-board listing under a legitimate MC number, dispatches a fictitious driver, and the load disappears. No warehouse breach, no armed robbery. The FBI and Verisk CargoNet classify this as “strategic theft” and it has surged more than 1,500% since 2022. Why is email the entry point? + Freight brokerage and dispatch workflows are email-driven. Rate confirmations, carrier packets, payment instructions, and load tenders all flow through email. Attackers compromise one inbox — often through a phishing email or a reused password from a previous breach — and then monitor the thread until they can inject fraudulent instructions that look legitimate. Without email authentication (DMARC/SPF/DKIM) and anti-BEC controls, there is no technical barrier stopping someone from spoofing your domain name entirely. Do small carriers and freight brokers really get targeted? + Yes. The shift to strategic theft actually favors targeting smaller operators. A small carrier or broker typically has fewer controls, relies on personal email relationships, and is less likely to run formal verification procedures for payment changes or new-carrier tenders. FBI and IC3 data confirm the targeting is broad across the industry, not concentrated at large enterprises. What do I get from the Cargo Fraud Defense Assessment? + You receive a findings report from the NodeZero autonomous penetration test, a scored DMARC/SPF/DKIM configuration review, an external attack-surface summary, a Microsoft 365 hardening gap list, a dark-web credential check result, and a gap matrix against common broker and cyber-insurance security requirements. The deliverable is actionable: each finding includes a remediation recommendation and a severity rating. How fast can you deploy after the assessment? + For most carriers and freight brokers, we can stand up DMARC monitoring and anti-BEC email security within one to two business days of the assessment debrief. The NodeZero findings drive a prioritized remediation backlog. Full managed-security program onboarding, including MDR/SOC and ZTNA, typically takes two to four weeks depending on environment complexity. ## Request your Cargo Fraud Defense Assessment Tell us about your fleet or brokerage. A real security engineer responds within one business day to walk you through the assessment scope and schedule a start date. Cargo Fraud Defense Assessment ## Request your Cargo Fraud Defense Assessment. Tell us about your fleet or brokerage. A real security engineer, not a sales sequence, responds within one business day. For an active incident, call +1 (765) 888-8888. Phone [+1 (765) 888-8888](tel:+17658888888) Email [info@efros.com](mailto:info@efros.com) Availability 24/7, around the clock Fields marked * are required Full Name * Email * Phone (optional) 🇺🇸 +1 Company Service Select a service Free Security Score Managed IT Services Cybersecurity Assessment Microsoft 365 Security Email Security / DMARC 3CX / VoIP Backup / Disaster Recovery AI Automation Logistics IT / Cybersecurity Cargo Fraud Defense Assessment Other Company size Select size 1–10 users 11–25 users 26–75 users 76–150 users 151–300 users 300+ users Timeline Select urgency Planning / researching Need help this month Active issue / outage Security incident in progress Insurance / compliance deadline Do not submit passwords, API keys, MFA codes, sensitive credentials, or confidential incident data through this form. For an active security incident, call [+1 (765) 888-8888](tel:+17658888888). 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Request the Assessment Related EFROS resources ## Related transportation security resources [### Logistics & Transportation cybersecurity TMS, ELD, GPS and dispatch security for carriers and brokers.Open→](https://efros.com/industries/logistics/) [### Freight broker email security Stop BEC and double-brokering fraud.Open→](https://efros.com/industries/freight-broker-email-security/) [### Trucking company MSP Managed IT & security for fleets.Open→](https://efros.com/industries/trucking-company-msp/) [### Free security assessment Review your current security posture.Open→](https://efros.com/free-security-assessment/)