Data center cargo thefts top $100 million since June

Oct 27, 2026
Criminal groups are stealing servers, networking equipment and other data center hardware in transit using compromised freight accounts, false identities and GPS spoofing.

Criminal groups have stolen more than $100 million in computing and data center equipment in transit since June 2026, NBC reported, according to Tom's Hardware. The stolen cargo includes servers, RAM, drives, routers, fiber optic and copper cables, and server rack components.

The thefts include $38 million in equipment taken in Reno, $13 million near the Mojave Desert and $10 million in server components bound for Texas. Thieves have compromised freight broker and carrier accounts to access manifests and schedules, impersonated shipping companies, used false identities, rammed security vehicles and broadcast fake GPS coordinates.

Investigators believe some shipments are sold to overseas buyers, including entities in China that face US restrictions on advanced AI equipment. Keith Lewis of Verisk CargoNet compared the shipments to gold bars, saying they are "so much easier to steal" than robbing a bank.

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