Criminal gangs are increasingly buying up legitimate haulage companies — sometimes ones in liquidation or administration — and using them to pose as subcontractors before collecting and disappearing with valuable loads, a BBC investigation has found. The exposé, aired on 17 November 2025, shows how fraudsters exploit company-registration checks, insurance paperwork and operator licences to mask freight crime that can run to tens of thousands of pounds per load.
The scale of the problem is stark. National data and industry estimates show the value of goods stolen from lorries jumped sharply in 2024, with losses estimated at more than £111 million, up from around £68 million the year before. Industry groups say these figures probably understate the true cost because reporting is incomplete and some firms are reluctant to disclose losses.
How the scam works
Fraudsters identify vulnerable businesses — hauliers facing insolvency, small operators with thin management structures, or recently dissolved companies — and acquire them through seemingly legitimate transactions. Once in control, the criminal owners bid for work or accept subcontracted collections from established logistics customers. The vehicles are loaded as normal, but instead of delivering the goods to the intended recipient the criminal crews change number plates or use other disguises and vanish with the cargo. In several cases the BBC found that identities or bank details of people who had died were used to register companies, adding another layer of deception.
Why it’s getting worse
Experts and industry bodies say the tactics are becoming more sophisticated and intelligence-led. Criminals now use identity fraud, stolen documentation and knowledge of supply-chain schedules to pick high-value consignments — electronics, designer clothing, alcohol and cosmetics — that are easy to move on quickly. Insurance cover and the appearance of correct paperwork make it harder for customers to spot fake operators during rapid administrative checks. Analysis of recent cargo-crime trends also points to cyber-enabled scams and insider collusion as escalating risks.
Industry impact and human cost
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) and other trade bodies warn that freight crime is not just an insurance headache; it threatens the viability of small hauliers, harms drivers’ wellbeing and pushes up costs for retailers and consumers. The RHA has repeatedly called for a coordinated national response and better reporting arrangements so that the true scale of thefts is visible to police and policymakers.
“Our industry is under attack,” says Richard Smith, managing director of the RHA. The industry body hears every day of businesses targeted by “highly organised crime gangs” and police have warned them of “a recent growth” in much more sophisticated methods, he says.
Law enforcement response
Police forces and national units have acknowledged the growing problem and say work is underway to target organised groups that specialise in logistics crime. The National Crime Agency and regional policing leads are also monitoring the links between organised acquisitive crime and misuse of corporate registrations. However, industry figures argue that policing capacity, a lack of a dedicated freight-crime crime code in some reporting systems, and inconsistent local responses make it difficult to build intelligence and secure convictions.
What hauliers, shippers and retailers should do now
Short-term mitigations include more rigorous supplier due diligence, multi-factor checks on any company being appointed as a subcontractor, verifying bank details separately from paperwork, using secure booking platforms that record proof of collection, and insisting on tamper-evident seals and tracked load movements. Insurers and security consultants also recommend layered security measures — CCTV at loading sites, driver training on fraud indicators, and where possible, using trusted fulfilment partners for high-value goods. Evidence from recent cargo-crime reports stresses the need for industry–police data sharing to spot suspicious buying patterns around vulnerable companies.
Why policy change matters
Trade bodies are pushing MPs for stronger measures: a national freight-crime reporting code, greater resources for police taskforces focused on organised logistics crime, tighter company-registration checks to prevent false identities being used, and enhanced penalties that reflect the organised nature of many thefts. Without structural changes, the combination of hungry criminals and gaps in oversight risks further losses and continued disruption across supply chains.
Matt Stratton, Partner in the corporate team at Birketts LLP, commented: “As the immigration debate continues to dominate the headlines, and amidst almost daily pronouncements that the UK is a soft touch and under increasing strain, this report from the BBC lays bare some audacious criminality faced by the haulage sector, already under the strain of acute driver shortages – on the rise since Brexit – and wafer thin margins, especially for those hauliers with smaller fleets. The BBC has identified evidence of gangs of fake subcontractors who buy distressed haulage firms, steal the cargo, then disappear.
“This highly organised and sophisticated fraud brings into focus the public information on the Companies House register which houses details of all [UK] limited companies. Companies House has for years been under attack from fraudsters taking advantage of its ‘reactive’ approach which enabled people to make fake or inaccurate company filings, often presenting a misleading picture to the outside world.
“Changes brought in recently by the Economic Crime & Corporate Transparency Act 2023 seek to stamp this out – at least for any new directors and person with significant control (PSCs). From 18 November, all new directors and PSCs are required to go through an approved mandatory ID Verification process before they can be recorded on the register. Existing directors and PSCs who are already recorded on the register have a 12-month transition period to verify.
“It seems the government has woken up to the sheer scale of fraud perpetrated by criminals using Companies House filings to facilitate an image of credibility and respectability. It is hoped that the IDV regime proves to be an effective weapon in the government’s fight against fraud.”
The BBC’s investigation has shone a light on a worrying evolution in freight crime: organised groups are not only stealing from parked lorries and depots but are now infiltrating the industry itself by acquiring firms and exploiting legitimate paperwork. The message to operators and retailers is clear — improve checks, harden practices and press for coordinated national action, because the current losses are significant and rising.
