Identity fraud attempts in the U.S. cargo and logistics sector have surged dramatically over the past two years, according to the 2026 Cargo and Logistics ID Fraud Report from IDScan.net.
“With cargo theft and supply chain disruption already costing the industry billions, identity fraud is becoming a critical vulnerability at facility entry points.” says Jimmy Roussel, CEO of IDScan.net. “As fraudsters become more organized and opportunistic, particularly during seasonal hiring peaks and high-volume shipping periods, logistics operators must strengthen identity verification processes to protect assets, staff, and customers.”
Key takeaways:
· The report, based on more than 1 million identity verification transactions across processing, manufacturing, transport, and warehousing operations, shows fraud attempts climbing from 0.53% in 2023 to 1.66% in 2024, and rising further to 2.15% in 2025. The second quarter of 2025 marked the highest quarterly fraud rate ever recorded, with attempts jumping 75% above the historical average.
· Economic strain, labor shortages and rising freight volumes have created ideal conditions for organized cargo crime. Rapid hiring and reliance on temporary workers leave gaps in vetting and oversight, while retailers move more inventory through an already stretched network to multiply soft targets that exist across warehouses and transit routes.
· Fake IDs were five times more likely to present as male, with an average listed age of 46.
· From a geographic perspective, the states most frequently appearing on fraudulent IDs were California, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Minnesota, New York, Illinois, Washington, and Pennsylvania.
· Metro areas with the highest rates of ID fraud attempts included Los Angeles, Memphis, Dallas–Fort Worth, Toronto, Seattle–Tacoma, Denver, Phoenix, and New York City.
