Highway's Q2 2025 Freight Fraud Index Highlights Surge in Identity-Based Fraud Attempts

The Q2 2025 Freight Fraud Index by Highway, a leader in carrier identity and access management solutions, reports a concerning rise in fraud attempts within the freight and logistics sector. The index details that Highway flagged and blocked over 495,000 fraudulent email attempts and more than 42,000 suspicious phone numbers, marking a 41% increase in email fraud and a 23% rise in broker-reported identity fraud from the previous quarter. This escalation underscores the sophisticated, multi-channel strategies employed by fraud rings, as highlighted by the National Insurance Crime Bureau's report of a 27% year-over-year increase in U.S. cargo theft.

Michael Grace, Vice President of Customer Risk Management at Highway, points out the strategic nature of modern freight fraud, where attackers exploit identity blind spots to infiltrate networks. The index identifies compromised inboxes, phone-based impersonation, and illegitimate motor carrier (MC) ownership changes as key drivers of theft. Notably, attacks on Microsoft SharePoint servers and the exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities have compromised over 400 organizations, including major government agencies.

In response to these threats, Highway has introduced Secure Rate Con Delivery and Highway for VoIP, aimed at preventing unauthorized access to rate confirmations and blocking fraudulent calls, respectively. These innovations come as Highway detected a 135% spike in suspicious MC ownership changes linked to cargo theft. Grace emphasizes the importance of identity verification and multi-factor authentication (MFA) in combating fraud, especially during high-risk periods like Memorial Day week, which saw 50% of reported thefts.

Highway advises brokers to adopt secure delivery methods for rate confirmations, verify contact changes through trusted platforms, and educate teams on recognizing fraud indicators. With fraudsters increasingly patient and observant, Highway's solutions offer real-time identity verification to safeguard against fraud at every interaction point. For more information on Highway's efforts to combat freight fraud, visit https://highway.com/.