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Thieves stoles $400,000 worth of lobster from Costco stores by using a sneaky new trick, NBC News reports.
The stolen lobsters were reportedly picked up in Taunton, Massachusetts, and en route to stores in Illinois and Minnesota, at the time of their disappearance, according to Dylan Rexing, the president and chief executive of Rexing Companies, a freight company that was in charge of transporting the crustaceans. The suspects allegedly used a fake ID to pose as real truckers, gaining access to the freight, according to the Indiana-based company.
“This theft wasn’t random,” Rexing said via NBC News. “It followed a pattern we’re seeing more and more, where criminals impersonate legitimate carriers using spoofed emails and burner phones to hijack high-value freight while it’s in transit.”
“For a mid-sized brokerage like ours, a $400,000 loss is significant,” he added. “It forces tough decisions and ultimately drives up costs across the supply chain — costs consumers ultimately end up paying.”
Costco didn't provide a public comment on the incident, according to NBC News.
“Brokers are on the front lines of this problem, but we need federal agencies to have modern enforcement tools to keep pace with organized criminal networks,” Rexing added. “Until that happens, these thefts will continue to disrupt businesses and impact everyday prices.”