Open in full screen mode Cargo thefts, during transport, increased by 59% in Canada and the UNITED STATES. The Canadian Press The rise in crime linked to the transport of goods is accompanied by a rise in more sophisticated and intelligent tactics on the digital plan, which revolve around identity theft and drain the economy of millions of dollars, while the higher cost of living stimulates the demand for stolen products. The number of cargo thefts – when goods are stolen during transport – increased by 59% in Canada and the United States last year, according to data analytics company Verisk's CargoNet. The 2,852 incidents come following an increase of 15% in 2022 and 20% in 2021. Experts say more traditional methods of theft, such as cutting fences in freight yards and installing electrical cables in bus stations, remain popular. But even these acts are often motivated by information gleaned from online shipping sites – sites that connect shippers and carriers – or by phishing scams and other hacking methods.
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Previously, they randomly stole everything they could get their hands on. Now, if they have inside information on something, they will walk into a job site and drive through half a dozen trailers until they find the product they were told they had. ;he was there, then they will steal that particular one.
A quote from Mark Haywood, Peel Regional Police, Ontario
Digital hacks and tracking devices like Apple AirTags can also provide this privileged information – the content or location of the shipment, for example. They have gained ground in the past year, in part because the methods are so cheap, said Danish Yusuf, chief executive of Toronto-based Zensurance.
The marginal cost of hacking the system is so low because it's just a person sitting in their basement somewhere, constantly trying, he explained. /p>
Other newer approaches that rely on strategic theft, in which criminals effectively induce shippers to hand over their goods, are also making their way.
The most common type is identity theft, where a group uses fake documents to pose as an existing fleet, said Joe Palmer, who leads the company's transportation team. Gallagher Canada Insurance.
An online thief can find the identity of a legitimate carrier…get their credentials and pretend to be someone they're not.
A quote from Joe Palmer, employee of the Gallagher Canada insurance company
Criminalists can offer an irresistibly low price to transport a cargo.
They flood people's inboxes and phone lines trying to get their hands on a shipment, Palmer said. /p>
Once obtained, the expensive cargo is rarely seen again by legitimate eyes – until it hits the shelves of retail stores, stripped of its illicit streak.
Fake pickup trucks – also known as fraudulent pickup trucks – jumped 600% in 2022 in Canada and the United States, although they still represent only a minority of the total, according to CargoNet.
Illegal wholesalers often present a wish list of high-demand items, much like car theft works now, Haywood said.
Food and beverages, household products and metals are now the most sought-after stolen goods in Canada, in that order, says CargoNet.
Food inflation over the past two years has triggered a commensurate rise in demand for meat and other edible products.
Of gray market grocers, Haywood says the products might be able to fetch a $100,000 load for $30,000. There is no way to trace products like these. It's not like they have serial numbers on the chicken packages.
Stolen poultry or pork can, however, pose a health risk.
Sometimes , these items are stolen, they sit on the side of the road for a day or two and maybe the refrigeration unit is turned off for a day, the police investigator said.
Electronics are also a high-value target.
The value of stolen cargo in Canada and the United States totaled $449 million dollars last year, an increase of 47% from 2022, according to CargoNet.
The company found that #x27;Ontario accounted for 83 per cent of all merchandise theft incidents in Canada, with the Toronto area the reddest hot spot, although police say offenses are spreading west as perpetrators are trying to escape a regional crackdown.
Even though the number of incidents reported in Canada has actually decreased by a handful in 2023, this figure remains 42% higher than 2021 levels.
Experts say the loss in value has likely increased simultaneously.