Chicago: A shipment of lobster worth approximately $400,000 was stolen while on its way to Costco stores in Illinois and Minnesota, according to the president of the freight company handling the delivery. The incident highlights a growing trend of freight theft through impersonation tactics.

According to Anadolu Agency, Dylan Rexing, president and chief executive of Rexing Companies, revealed that the theft involved a driver who is believed to have impersonated a legitimate carrier. The stolen lobsters, which were not alive, were intended for Costco locations in the Midwest.

NBC News reported that authorities are currently investigating the incident, while the freight company is reviewing how the impersonation occurred. Rexing pointed out that this type of theft is becoming increasingly common, with criminals using spoofed emails and burner phones to impersonate carriers and hijack valuable freight mid-transit.

"This theft wasn't random," Rexing stated. "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."

Rexing also emphasized the significant impact of such losses on mid-sized brokerages like his, stating that a $400,000 loss forces difficult decisions and raises costs across the supply chain, ultimately affecting consumers. He called for federal agencies to adopt modern enforcement tools to combat organized criminal networks, warning that, without such measures, these thefts will continue to disrupt businesses and impact prices.

Costco has not yet responded to requests for comment on the incident, as reported by NBC News.