Little Debbie Fraud & $304M Cargo Theft

Cargo theft losses in the supply chain surged to over $304.6 million in Q2 2026, despite a drop in reported incidents. This segment of FreightWaves Today breaks down the latest CargoNet data, revealing the top targeted states, locations, and commodities. We also dive into a specific ‘Little Debbie’ snack fraud scheme, highlighting how forged invoices led to significant losses and criminal charges. Understand the real scale of fraud impacting your freight.

Cargo theft losses surged to $304.6 million in the second quarter of 2024, more than doubling from the prior year period, according to new data from Verisk CargoNet. The intelligence network documented 677 incidents across the United States and Canada during Q2 — down 26% year over year in volume — but the sharp rise in dollar losses signals that individual thefts are growing significantly more costly.

The disconnect between falling incident counts and soaring losses points to a broader problem: industry observers believe official figures drastically undercount the true scope of cargo crime. At a recent fraud summit, participants cited estimates suggesting that for every theft incident officially reported, roughly six more go unreported.

“There’s some crazy stat that it’s only a minority of incidents, so it’s much bigger than I think the number that Verisk reported,” one of the hosts said.

The underreporting dynamic is driven in part by carriers and shippers who prefer to resolve losses quietly rather than generate public claims data. “If they can handle it themselves, they’re not going to create, one, the press release around the data, and two, the noise,” a co-host noted. Verisk’s figures are drawn from official insurance claims, meaning self-handled losses fall outside the dataset entirely.

Copper held its position as the most targeted commodity for the second consecutive year, according to the CargoNet report. The persistent focus on copper reflects its high resale value and the relative ease with which it can be stripped, transported, and liquidated outside normal supply chain channels.

On the fraud front, a West Virginia man faces 15 criminal charges in connection with a scheme targeting Little Debbie snack deliveries. Authorities allege James Powell forged invoices and signatures to fabricate deliveries to retail stores in Washington County, Pennsylvania, collecting commissions on freight that never moved. Distributor Stewart Snacks has since reimbursed affected retailers and the manufacturer.

Powell is currently undergoing extradition from West Virginia; all charges remain allegations. The case illustrates how invoice and signature fraud in distribution networks can go undetected long enough to require restitution up and down the supply chain.

• Verisk CargoNet logged $304.6M in cargo theft losses in Q2, more than doubling year over year despite a 26% drop in reported incident count.
• Industry observers say official figures are a significant undercount, with estimates suggesting only a minority of theft incidents are ever formally reported.
• West Virginia man James Powell faces 15 charges for allegedly forging invoices and signatures to collect commissions on fictitious Little Debbie snack deliveries.