Thieves are using sophisticated digital schemes to hijack freight shipments, raising concerns that trucks carrying millions of dollars’ worth of data center equipment could be stolen with relative ease. Since June, more than $100 million in data center cargo has reportedly been taken, according to NBC News, which spoke with several industry leaders, consultants, and investigators advising law enforcement on what it described as the largest theft case to date.
How the freight thefts work
The schemes often begin when thieves compromise freight brokers’ accounts on shipment-listing websites. They post fake loads to attract legitimate bids, then send malicious links to trucking companies that respond. When a victim clicks one of those links, malware can give the thieves control of the company’s account, allowing them to bid on genuine shipments.
In some cases, legitimate delivery drivers are hired to collect cargo without realizing they are participating in a scam. In others, criminals use fake driver’s licenses to recruit accomplices. The equipment ultimately reaches drivers working with the thieves, who resell it. In one of the largest reported thefts, the criminals also falsified tracking coordinates to evade digital monitoring.
According to NBC News, commonly targeted goods include servers, fiber-optic cables, computer memory chips, copper wire, and Bitcoin-mining machines.
Data center equipment found among stolen cargo
Some targeted trailers appeared to contain data center equipment exclusively. Two stolen cargo vehicles found in Illinois reportedly held copper-wire spools worth $300,000 and approximately $1 million in “custom-made data center modular power solution equipment,” according to NBC News and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
Other trucks carried data center equipment alongside unrelated products. In a case reported by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, “data center cooling equipment” made for Deepcool AI was recovered with nicotine pouches, televisions, shoes, printers, speakers, and skin care products.
Experts warn that the thefts could cause broad economic damage, affecting not only the artificial intelligence industry but also Americans more broadly.
Off-duty officers targeted during escort assignments
Some stolen items have been recovered. However, NBC News found that equipment was not recovered in two of the largest thefts it examined. In both cases, off-duty police officers hired to escort the shipments were targeted in hit-and-run incidents.
Source: arstechnica.com