Thieves exploit compromised freight accounts to hijack legitimate shipments #
Organised criminal networks have stolen more than $100 million worth of data centre equipment since June 2026, using hacked freight accounts, fake driver identities, and GPS spoofing to intercept high-value shipments as the artificial intelligence boom fuels demand for servers, computer chips, and other infrastructure.
The thefts highlight how criminals are using cyberattacks with physical highway heists to target equipment worth millions of dollars. Two major incidents involved shipments of computer hardware worth a combined $23 million.
In the first case, a trailer carrying hundreds of pounds of computer server equipment worth $13 million bound for Fayetteville, Georgia, disappeared after a car struck the vehicle escorting it. The collision forced the escorts, including off-duty police officers, to stop while the trailer continued towards an unknown destination.
A similar incident involved a California shipment carrying server rack components valued at around $10 million and destined for Texas. Again, a vehicle struck the escort, allowing the trailer to escape.
Although the second shipment was being monitored through a tracking application, investigators found that its location coordinates had apparently been spoofed, preventing the digital tracking system from accurately identifying where the cargo had gone.
Gerardo Pachuca, a private investigator and former Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department detective investigating cargo theft, told NBC News that the incidents appeared to involve deliberate attempts to disable the escorts.
How Thieves Exploit Hacked Accounts and Fake Identities #
The operations extend beyond traditional truck hijackings, with criminals exploiting weaknesses in freight companies' digital systems and shipment verification procedures.
According to investigators, thieves can reportedly compromise freight brokers' accounts through phishing schemes. They post fake shipments on online freight platforms to attract legitimate trucking companies, then send malicious links that can give them access to victims' accounts.
Once inside, criminals can use compromised accounts to bid on genuine shipments and arrange collections. Cargo may be picked up by unsuspecting drivers or accomplices using fake identities before being transferred to other vehicles for resale.
The equipment targeted includes servers, fibre-optic cables, computer memory chips, copper wiring, and Bitcoin mining machines. In Illinois, authorities identified stolen loads containing approximately $300,000 worth of copper wire and $1 million in custom-made modular power equipment designed for data centres.
Stolen AI Hardware Could Reach Overseas Buyers #
The growing value of data centre equipment has made these shipments particularly attractive to organised criminals.
Keith Lewis, head of operations at risk assessment firm Verisk CargoNet, compared the thefts to stealing gold bars, telling a media outlet that criminals are targeting the copper, server racks, and memory needed to build AI data centres.
Unlike ordinary stolen consumer goods, high-end computing equipment may not be sold openly through online marketplaces. Investigators believe stolen components can instead enter grey markets, with overseas buyers potentially identified before a shipment is intercepted.
Some experts suspect that equipment is being moved outside the United States, including to China, although the destinations of individual stolen shipments have not been publicly established.
Security Firms Face Growing Pressure #
The incidents have prompted renewed calls for stronger driver background checks, improved shipment verification, and more robust tracking systems.
Scott Cornell, chair of the American chapter of the Transported Asset Protection Association, told NBC News that thorough checks on drivers could help prevent the crimes.
As investment in AI infrastructure expands, freight companies face mounting pressure to protect increasingly valuable shipments from criminals who can exploit both digital systems and potential gaps in physical security.
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