Industry security initiatives in air cargo have predominantly concentrated on controls during cargo acceptance. However, a recent analysis indicates a growing trend where cargo identity fraud originates much earlier in the commercial workflow. This includes the initial stages of rate quotations, booking requests, and the submission of shipment data.
The scale of this challenge is significant, with North American supply chain crime losses estimated at around US$725 million in 2025. A primary vulnerability identified is business email compromise, where fraudsters manipulate communications related to rates and bookings.
For freight forwarders and operations managers, this means that traditional security protocols focused on the warehouse floor are no longer sufficient. There is an urgent need to re-evaluate and strengthen digital security measures, particularly around email authentication, data verification during the quoting and booking process, and employee training on identifying sophisticated phishing attempts. Failure to do so could lead to financial losses, reputational damage, and potential involvement in illicit cargo movements. Forwarders should implement multi-factor authentication for all critical systems and establish clear protocols for verifying new customer identities and unusual booking requests.
