CRIM Report Blog
Fraud prevention, carrier vetting, and compliance insights for the freight industry.
800 Truckers Swept Off the Road — and the CDL Problem Brokers Still Can't See From SAFER
Operation Highway Shield's second wave pulled 766 drivers and vehicles out of service across four Midwest states in three days. The bigger story for freight brokers: a non-domiciled CDL on a carrier's driver roster looks identical to a clean domestic license in every database you're already checking.
The Driver Who Never Existed: What Three Federal CDL Fraud Cases Reveal About Carrier Identity Risk
Three federal prosecutions — spanning Kentucky, South Dakota, and Connecticut — show that stolen U.S. identities are being used to obtain commercial driver licenses and operate trucks. Here's what that means for every freight broker who relies on a CDL number to confirm who is behind the wheel.
Vetting Isn't Enough Anymore: The Q2 2026 Data That Should Change How You Onboard Carriers
New Q2 2026 industry data shows that half of all freight fraud now flows through compromised inboxes, spoofed phone numbers, and account takeovers — not fake registrations. Here's what that shift demands from brokers who still treat carrier vetting as a one-time event.
Congress Can't Vet Carriers for You: What the SAFE Act Gets Right — and What It Still Leaves to Brokers
Senators Todd Young and Andy Kim introduced the bipartisan SAFE Act on July 28, directing FMCSA to build automated chameleon-carrier detection tools. Legislation moves slowly. Here's the vetting work brokers must do right now.
Eight Indicted, Six Loads Stolen: How a $4.49M Carrier Impersonation Ring Beat Depot-Level Verification
A Manhattan DA indictment unsealed in June 2026 details how a crew allegedly stole $4.49 million in freight by presenting stolen MC and DOT numbers at loading docks across three states. Here is what every freight broker and shipper needs to check before the next pickup.
Eleven Names, Seven Fake Carriers, Zero Checks: The Zigmantas Case and What It Exposes About FMCSA Registration
Aivaras Zigmantas stole $10.1 million from roughly 90 interstate shipments by registering fictitious carriers with the FMCSA using UPS Store addresses and borrowing the identities of real motor carriers. His five-year federal sentence is a road map of every vetting gap brokers and shippers can actually close.
The $1 Billion Supply Chain: What the Anwar Extradition Tells Brokers About Front-Company Freight Fraud
A Texas man extradited from Qatar on July 10, 2026 faces federal charges tied to a money-laundering network the FBI links to more than $1 billion in losses — and the underlying indictment describes cargo theft rings funneling stolen goods through companies that looked, on paper, like legitimate logistics operators. Here is what that pattern means for every freight broker doing carrier vetting today.
They're Calling From Inside the Carrier: How Fraudsters Hijacked Verified Phone Numbers — and What to Do About It
Verisk CargoNet's July 2026 advisory documents a new fraud tactic: criminals compromising carriers' VoIP phone systems to make calls that appear to come from verified numbers. Here's what brokers need to check now.
The Carrier That Wasn't: Inside the $10M Impersonation Ring That Just Got Eight People Arrested
A federal indictment unsealed June 30 charged eight people in an organized, international scheme that used carrier impersonation to steal at least $10 million in freight since March 2023. Here's what the playbook looks like — and the specific checks that stop it.
Shell Companies, Spoofed Carriers, and a Six-Figure Car on the Wrong Trailer
Auto dealers are losing six-figure vehicles to fraudsters who build shell transport companies, clone carrier identities, and arrive at the lot with convincing paperwork before the real carrier ever shows. The same identity-fraud playbook targeting dealers is hitting freight brokers and shippers every day — and the vetting signals that stop it are already in FMCSA's public data.
When a Carrier Sells Its Identity: The Hilder Herd Case and the Vetting Checks That Can't See It Coming
A carrier sold its MC number and digital credentials to a fraud ring that used them to steal $3.5 million in computer equipment — and every standard vetting check cleared. Here is what brokers need to look at instead.
CORCA Is Coming. Deceptive Pickups Are Already Here. Here's What Brokers Must Do Now.
Deceptive pickup schemes jumped 31% in Q1 2026, and the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act just cleared the House with a 348–60 vote. Congress is building the enforcement infrastructure — here's what that means for your carrier vetting process today.
The Ghost Behind the Wheel: What the GHOSTRUCK Act Reveals About Foreign Dispatcher Risk
A new bill on Capitol Hill exposes a regulatory blind spot that every freight broker should already be checking: foreign-based dispatchers can legally edit a driver's ELD records—and there is currently no federal prohibition stopping them. Here is what that means for your vetting process right now.
Parked Trailers, Bolt Cutters, and a $1.5M Lesson for Every Freight Broker
A Philadelphia cargo theft crew stole more than $1.5 million from over ten victims in a matter of months — targeting unattended trailers at truck stops and staging areas. Here's what the federal sentencing reveals about where physical cargo theft still lives, and what your vetting process must account for.
How to Spot Double Brokering Before It Costs You
Double brokering quietly drains the freight industry. Here are the red flags every broker and shipper should watch for.