Impersonating a freight forwarder, an American man defrauded nearly 10 million US dollars worth of goods!

Freight is undoubtedly an important part of cross-border e-commerce, and freight forwarding plays an important role in this part. However, this important role has been regarded as a means of "making money" by some "interested people".

Recently, Aivaras Zigmantas, a 39-year-old Chicago man, was brought to court for impersonating a carrier's agent and defrauding victims of $9.5 million in goods. The charges included six counts of wire fraud, five counts of bank fraud and two counts of interstate freight theft. Most of the defrauded goods were alcohol and commercial metals.

The lawsuit documents show that between March 2020 and September 2023, Aivaras Zigmantas persuaded victims to transport goods through himself by posing as employees and agents of shipping companies, some of which were real and some were fictitious. During the fraud, he used more than a dozen aliases, including Rolandas Butikis, Rolandas Butkus, and Tom Kempinski.

It is reported that after the victim handed over the goods to him, he would unload the goods from the original truck, load them onto another truck, and then deliver the goods of the owner to a warehouse specially used to hide the stolen goods. In order to make it look real, he and his accomplices opened bank accounts through various forged identity documents (including driver's licenses and foreign passports) and paid regular carriers to hide the fact that the goods had been stolen. At the same time, they also created email addresses and websites, and opened UPS Store mailboxes in the name of fake companies to increase their credibility.

According to the prosecutor, the gang planned to steal $13.6 million worth of goods and has already succeeded in stealing more than $9.5 million. According to U.S. law, each count of bank fraud carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, each count of wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and each count of theft carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. If Aivaras Zigmantas is convicted of multiple crimes, he could face life imprisonment.

If Aivaras Zigmantas's "fraud" is a technical theft, then "driving away with the car" is a simple and straightforward theft. But it is this "simple and straightforward" that has become a headache for the US logistics industry.

In recent years, there have been more and more cases of cargo loss due to theft. According to CargoNet data, the proportion of cargo theft in 2023 increased by 57% compared to 2022, and the total value of lost cargo reached 130 million. This figure does not include unreported cargo, so the actual amount may be higher.

Especially in the fourth quarter of 2023, it increased by 68% compared with the same period in 2022. The thefts recorded in the first quarter of 2024 increased by 10% compared with the fourth quarter of 2023 and 46% compared with the same period in 2023 - the number reached 925, with a total value of 76 million. Combined with the unreported data, CargoNet estimates that a total of 154.6 million US dollars worth of goods were stolen in the first quarter of this year. Among them, small appliances, alcohol, energy drinks and copper are the hardest hit areas.

CargoNet also warned that with the July 4 holiday approaching, the theft of cargo in the U.S. logistics industry will become more frequent and will exceed the highest historical record set in 2023. The main targets of criminals are still non-alcoholic beverages, energy drinks, large household appliances, computers, and electronic products. CargoNet reminds practitioners to be vigilant and improve corresponding security measures to ensure the safety of cargo.

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