Highway thieves have stolen more than $100 million in data center equipment since June
Highway thieves have stolen more than $100 million in data center equipment since June
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Thieves are hacking freight broker accounts and posting fake shipments to steal servers and chips, according to NBC News
A data center in Ashburn, Virginia. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Thieves have taken upward of $100 million worth of cargo bound for data centers off the highways since June, according to NBC News. NBC News based that total on accounts from trade executives, advisers and investigators who assist police agencies examining the largest heists.
Targeted cargo includes bitcoin mining rigs, servers, copper wire, memory chips for computers and fiber-optic cabling, according to NBC News.
The thieves begin by hijacking the accounts of freight brokers on load-posting sites, then list bogus shipments that attract genuine bids, according to NBC News. They forward a link loaded with malware to every trucking firm that replies. A click installs software that gives the thieves control of the company's account, which they use to bid on real shipments, according to NBC News.
In some cases a legitimate driver ends up booked for the pickup with no idea a scam is underway, according to NBC News. In others, thieves use fake driver's licenses to get accomplices hired. The goods then pass to a driver who is in league with the thieves and handles resale of the equipment. During one of the biggest heists, the thieves falsified the tracking coordinates so electronic surveillance would not catch them, according to NBC News.
Some trailers carried only data center equipment. The Cook County Sheriff's Office estimated that two hijacked loads in Illinois contained spools of copper wire valued at $300,000, plus roughly $1 million of modular power gear built specifically for data centers, according to NBC News.
Other trucks carried mixed loads. In a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department case, cooling gear for data centers, destined for Deepcool AI, turned up mixed in with skin care cosmetics, speakers, printers, shoes, televisions and nicotine pouches, according to NBC News.
Authorities have recovered some of the stolen goods. In two of the biggest heists NBC News uncovered, none of the gear has been located, and off-duty police officers retained to accompany the shipments were singled out in hit-and-run incidents, according to NBC News.
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