According to TAPA statistics, during the period from 2022 to 2024, nearly 160,000 cargo-related criminal incidents were recorded in 129 countries around the world, with cumulative economic losses estimated to reach several billion euros. Besides the traditional vehicle hijacking and warehouse theft, freight crime is rapidly evolving into a new form of risk that is more concealed and digitally advanced. 

Thorsten Neumann, President and CEO of TAPA EMEA, pointed out that the main characteristics of current freight crime include: 

Criminals use digital tools to hide their true identities. 

Set up shell companies by using stolen enterprise information or clone the qualifications of legitimate logistics enterprises. 

Widely using forged email addresses, similar domain names and false insurance certificates. 

He particularly emphasized that the abuse of artificial intelligence technology might further magnify the aforementioned risks, making fraud easier to carry out on a large scale and thus leading to a continuous increase in the overall level of losses.

In response to the escalating risk situation, IUMI and TAPA EMEA have called on all relevant stakeholders in the supply chain and government agencies to take targeted countermeasures as soon as possible. They have jointly issued risk prevention recommendations for shippers, logistics service providers and insurance companies, with key points including: 

Conduct continuous reviews of carriers and drivers;

Verify contact information, transportation documents and insurance certificates;

Strictly follow industry-recognized safety and operation standards;

Enhance the identification and vigilance of abnormal behaviors and processes;

Reasonably utilize safety facilities and optimize transportation route planning. 

Lars Lange, the Secretary General of IUMI, also pointed out that freight trading platforms bear a crucial responsibility in preventing false carrier fraud. They should prevent carriers without genuine qualifications from entering the system by strengthening identity verification mechanisms, introducing multi-factor authentication (MFA), and adopting fraud detection technologies, thereby blocking the risk loopholes exploited by criminals from the source. 

However, in cross-border, multi-node, and high-frequency transportation scenarios, the implementation of the above measures still faces practical challenges such as scattered information, high verification costs, and insufficient on-site controllability overseas. There is a significant gap between risk management and execution capabilities.