Freight Fraud on the Rise: Highway's Q2 Index Reveals Alarming Trends

Strategic Insights -

The transportation industry is facing an unprecedented surge in freight fraud, with Highway's Q2 Index revealing a significant increase in fraudulent email attempts and identity alerts. The index, which tracks and analyzes fraud attempts targeting freight brokers and carrier networks, has seen a 41% rise in fraudulent email attempts compared to Q1 2025, and a 23% increase in broker-reported identity fraud. This growing threat is driven by layered, multi-channel attacks, and aligns with broader national trends, including a rise in identity manipulation, email compromises, and phone-based identity fraud.

Key Takeaways:

  • Highway's Q2 Index flagged and blocked 495,267 fraudulent email attempts, 42,421 suspicious phone numbers, and 2,281 identity alerts.
  • Fraudulent email attempts increased by 41% compared to Q1 2025, and broker-reported identity fraud rose by 23%.
  • The rise in freight fraud is driven by compromised inboxes, surge in phone-based impersonation, and sold motor carriers and illegitimate ownership changes.
  • Brokers are increasingly falling victim to fraudsters who hijack legitimate carrier inboxes, often targeting Gmail, Microsoft, and Yahoo accounts without multi-factor authentication.
  • Highway's Secure Rate Con Delivery feature ensures that rate confirmations can only be accessed by verified, authenticated users, blocking fraud even if an inbox has been compromised.
  • Highway's VoIP feature integrates directly into broker IVR systems, using Highway's Identity Engine to detect and reroute spoofed or high-risk phone numbers before they reach carrier sales teams.
  • Fraudsters are purchasing or acquiring MC numbers and using them to operate under the radar, with a 135% spike in suspicious MC ownership changes connected to strategic cargo theft reports.

Statistics:

  • 495,267 fraudulent email attempts flagged and blocked in Q2 2025 (41% increase from Q1 2025).
  • 42,421 suspicious phone numbers flagged and blocked in Q2 2025 (37% increase from Q1 2025).
  • 2,281 identity alerts flagged and blocked in Q2 2025 (23% increase from Q1 2025).
  • 50% of reported thefts occurred during Memorial Day week (May 26-30), when reduced staffing and high shipment volumes create the ideal environment for fraud.

Sources:

  • [Source 1: Globe Newswire (no date provided)]
  • [Source 2: National Cargo Theft Information Center (NCIB)]
  • [Source 3: Eye Security]
  • [Source 4: LeadCoverage (dated July 29, 2025)]
  • [Source 5: Highway (dated July 29, 2025)]