"Criminals are changing," warned Thorsten Neumann, president and CEO of TAPA EMEA, the international industry association that focuses on combating crime and losses in logistics chains, during IUMI 2026 in Rotterdam.
According to him, the way in which cargo is stolen is changing rapidly. Whereas in the past it was still about 'occasional thieves', nowadays it is about professionals. Organised criminal groups carefully prepare their actions, have digital expertise and look very specifically for vulnerabilities in the logistics chain.
At the same time, the loot becomes more attractive. Companies are working more and more efficiently and sometimes transport goods with enormous value on a single pallet. Think of smartphones, medicines or other high-quality products. For example, where a pallet used to be worth 300,000 euros, it can now be 1.5 million euros, Neumann illustrated. One successful theft can therefore cause much greater damage.
Classic cargo thief disappears
According to Neumann, companies must get rid of the image of the classic cargo thief. Organized crime is increasingly operating as a professional enterprise. TAPA talks about crime as a service, among other things: criminals have specialist knowledge, find buyers for stolen goods in advance and sometimes steal for order. In addition, not only luxury items, electronics and precious metals are interesting any more. Food, fuel, medicines, cosmetics, clothing, tools and building materials are also stolen.
Thorsten Neumann, President and CEO of TAPA EMEA
Cargo theft in numbers
Period: three years until 30 June 2026
171,957 registered incidents
164 countries
The damage value of only 6.5% of the incidents is known
More than €6.1 billion of registered damage
On average, approximately €5.6 million of registered damage per day
Source: TAPA Intelligence System (TIS)
From AI fraud to fake carriers
Technology is also changing the playing field. AI fraud, deepfakes, digital identity fraud, data manipulation and social engineering (misleading people to gain information or access) are among the growing risks, according to TAPA. "Every technology also creates a counter-technology," Neumann told his audience.
Added to that is a human vulnerability. Drivers have valuable information about their cargo and sometimes share more than is wise. This insider information can help criminals know exactly where and when a valuable cargo is being transported.
A development that clearly shows the intertwining of physical and digital crime is that of fake carriers. Criminals forge e-mail addresses, documents and insurance certificates, use internet domains that resemble those of existing companies or pretend to be an existing carrier. In some cases, even a real transport company is taken over, only to disappear after a few weeks with loads.
The Netherlands joins forces against fake carrier fraud
In the Netherlands, too, attention is increasing for fake carrier fraud. Transport and Logistics Netherlands (TLN), the Dutch Association of Insurers, the Centre for Crime Prevention and Safety (CCV), Platform Veilig Ondernemen, the police and freight platforms work together in the Fake Carrier Foundation .
The foundation builds on the Barrier Model Fake Carrier from 2025. This maps out how the fraud proceeds and at what times companies can carry out checks to stop criminals. There are also verification tools that allow companies to verify the identity of carriers. By sharing knowledge and signals about new fraud methods, suspicious transport orders should be recognised earlier and damage prevented.
Where does cyber attack end and physical theft begin?
Modern cargo theft can start with digital identity fraud or a cyberattack, but end with the physical disappearance of goods. This means that part of the risk is at the interface of cyber insurance and traditional transport and theft coverage.
During the IUMI panel, it became clear that this line is not always easy to draw. Who is responsible if a criminal digitally pretends to be a reliable carrier and then disappears with the cargo? And under which insurance does the damage fall? It is precisely in such a grey area that discussion can arise about coverage and liability.
Share data and train people
At the same time, the message from Rotterdam was practical: more technology alone will not solve the problem. Awareness, training and information sharing remain essential.
Neumann called on companies and insurers to share data about incidents and to make employees aware of the value of the information and goods they work with. Drivers need to know what the risks are and why restraint with information is important.
Cooperation within the logistics chain is also needed. Because where companies are making their supply chains more and more efficient, criminals are constantly looking for the next vulnerability. Or, as was warned during the session: criminal organisations sometimes develop faster than the supply chains they target.
Text: Christel Dieleman, photos: IUMI.
