About
A field guide, not a crime show.
Cargo Theft Watch is for small carriers, owner-operators and freight brokers who need to know if a load or a broker is worth the risk.
DRAFT. Not for publication before Nov 17, 2026. The wording below assumes retirement has taken effect. Byron approved this wording (no agency names).
I am a retired police officer. I served 20 years as a police officer and 12 as a detective, including 10 years of multi-agency cargo theft investigations. I saw the same schemes work on good people again and again, mostly because nobody had explained them in plain language.
That is the point of this site. It explains how cargo and freight fraud works, what the warning signs are, and what to do when something goes wrong. It is written for small carriers, owner-operators and brokers, not for lawyers or analysts.
What this site is and is not
- It is built from public sources, and every pattern links to them: FMCSA, the FBI’s IC3, the FTC, CargoNet’s public releases, NMFTA, NICB and trade press.
- It describes how schemes work. It does not name companies or people as criminals.
- It is not official, and I do not speak for any police agency or government body. These are my own views, and nothing here uses non-public law-enforcement information.
- It is not legal advice. If you have been hit, use the I got hit page and call the police and your insurer.
Corrections
If something here is wrong or out of date, tell me at hello@cargotheftwatch.com and I will check it against the source and fix it.