“It fell off a truck,” always gets a laugh when characters in film and television explain the presence of a new appliance or a box of steaks or lobster. But it’s no laughing matter to the shipping industry, which loses millions of dollars worth of cargo each year to thieves. And in the audio clip below, Scott Cornell, the crime theft specialist at Travelers Insurance, tells WGN’s Steve Alexander that thieves are increasingly more clever and tech-savvy in their thefts. Sure, some are still doing it the old-fashioned way where a truck is stolen and items are sold off the back of the truck. But, thanks to digital technology, they don’t even have to see the truck. They can hack into accounts and change the coding and the destinations.
Cargo thefts were up 57% from Q2 2022 to Q2 2023, and according to CargoNet, food and beverages are the most often targeted. Scott Cornell's job is to help shippers prevent theft.