Highway thieves are spoofing GPS to steal millions in data center-bound cargo

Organized cargo thieves have stolen more than $100 million in data-center-bound freight since June, exploiting digital weaknesses in freight logistics rather than relying on opportunistic truck theft. They compromise freight brokers’ accounts, advertise fake loads to attract trucking companies, and send malicious links that let them take over victims’ accounts and bid on real shipments. Stolen cargo may be collected by an unsuspecting hired driver or an accomplice using forged identification, then handed to a theft crew. In one case, thieves also spoofed GPS coordinates to defeat shipment tracking. Targets include servers, fiber-optic cable, memory chips, copper wire, cooling systems, and power equipment.

The thefts have involved violence as well as digital deception. In two major cases, vehicles struck cars carrying off-duty police escorts, allowing trucks loaded with equipment valued at about $13 million and $10 million to escape; neither shipment was recovered, and tracking failed in one case. Investigators say nearly two dozen incidents have occurred since 2025 across several states, with demand likely to rise as data-center construction expands. Stolen equipment can be dismantled for gray-market resale, sometimes to buyers arranged in advance, including overseas buyers facing restricted access to US technology. Security specialists argue that careful driver and client vetting is essential, alongside escorts, task forces, and stronger federal responses; they warn that reliance on automated systems alone leaves shipments vulnerable.