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US cargo theft in 2026: 547 incidents and $230.1M losses in Q3, fictitious pickups 25% of thefts

Verisk CargoNet recorded 547 supply-chain crime incidents in the US and Canada in Q3 2026, down 33% year over year, while estimated losses rose to $230.1 million. Fictitious pickups were 138 of those incidents — about 25%, up from 18%.

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The numbers

• Q3 2026 (Jul–Sep): 547 incidents, down 33% year over year and 19% from Q2; losses $230.1M; $718.9M through September, up 39% [1].
• Fictitious pickups: 138 in Q3 2026 vs 147 a year earlier; share up from 18% to about 25% [1].
• California, Illinois, New Jersey and Texas: 57% of Q3 incidents; California 182. Food and beverage most stolen, then metals [1].
• Methods named by CargoNet: compromised business e-mail, internet phone systems and transportation apps used to impersonate companies [1].
• Q2 2026: 677 incidents (down 26%), losses $304.6M vs $135.7M; business e-mail compromise the main access point [2].
• Full year 2025 (CargoNet, via Insurance Journal): 2,646 confirmed thefts (+18%), losses nearly $725M (+60%) [3].
• Overhaul counts US-only: 574 thefts in Q1 2026, deceptive pickups up 31% [4]; 605 in Q2 2026 [5]. CargoNet and Overhaul count differently — compare within one source.

What PingPoint does and doesn't do here

Does: shows whether the phone you texted is actually at the pickup, moving toward delivery, and arriving — with geofence times for each stop — and e-mails you after 20 minutes without a position (alerts).

Doesn't: verify a carrier's identity or authority, prevent a fictitious pickup, or track the freight itself. If the load is handed to someone else, PingPoint keeps tracking the phone you entered, not the trailer.

Sources

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Facts checked 2026-11-05.