---
title: "GPS Spoofing and Server Hunting: How Criminals Steal Millions in Data Center Cargo"
description: "Since early June, criminals have stolen over $100 million in data center equipment using broker account hacks, malware, forged documents, and GPS coordinate substitution."
date: 2026-10-28T17:47:59.107Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/gps-spoofing-and-server-hunting-data-center-cargo-theft
tags: [data-center-theft, gps-spoofing, cybercrime, freight-fraud, ai-forgery]
author: "Roman V., Andrey Kosynko"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# GPS Spoofing and Server Hunting: How Criminals Steal Millions in Data Center Cargo

![A semi-truck driving on a highway at sunset next to a car](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/28/podmena-gps-i-ohota-za-serverami-ugony-gruzov-dlya-datatsentrov/podmena-gps-i-ohota-za-serverami-ugony-gruzov-dlya-datatsentrov-1.webp)

## Key Points

- Total losses from DC equipment thefts since early June have exceeded $100 million
- Criminals hack broker accounts and use malware to intercept real shipping orders
- Cargo haulers use AI-generated forged driver's licenses and GPS coordinate substitution
- In the two largest cases ($13M and $10M), escorts were paralyzed by deliberate crashes, and the equipment remains unfound
- Stolen goods are stripped for parts and sold on grey markets, including to foreign buyers

Since early June 2026, the total losses from targeted thefts of data center (DC) equipment have exceeded 100 million dollars. According to available data, these are not isolated incidents, but rather a streamlined digital scheme where criminals intercept trucks carrying high-value technology as early as the transport booking stage. The loot most frequently includes servers, fiber-optic cables, memory modules, copper wiring, and Bitcoin mining equipment — both in individual shipments and mixed cargo loads.

### Digital Hunting: How Orders Are Intercepted

The scheme starts online. Criminals hack into freight brokers' accounts on specialized load-board platforms and post fake listings. When a transport company responds, the victim is sent a malicious link. Clicking it installs malware that grants the perpetrators access to the company's account and allows them to bid on legitimate shipping orders. Thus, the cargo theft actually begins long before the truck ever leaves the terminal.

### Fake Documents and Coordinate Substitution

To haul away the cargo, criminals use two main methods. In some cases, they hire an unsuspecting driver; in others, they plant an accomplice using counterfeit driver's licenses which, according to reports, are generated using artificial intelligence. The goods are handed over to a driver connected to the syndicate, who handles further resale. To avoid tracking, coordinate substitution was used in certain incidents: even when monitoring movement via an application, the cargo's location coordinates were falsely altered, rendering observers blind to the real route.

### Million-Dollar Thefts and "Accidental" Crashes

While a portion of the stolen goods is recovered, the equipment in two of the largest heists remains missing. In both episodes, off-duty police officers hired for cargo escort were targeted in deliberate collisions. A shipment of server hardware valued at 13 million dollars heading to Fayetteville, Georgia, where one of the largest DC complexes is located, was escorted by a security vehicle that was rammed by an unmarked sedan, forcing it to stop; the truck, meanwhile, continued driving. A similar incident occurred with a 10-million-dollar shipment traveling from California to Texas: an SUV crashed into the security vehicle while the truck escaped.

### Where the Stolen Goods Disappear

Stolen data center equipment is rarely listed on public marketplaces. As a rule, the hardware is stripped for parts and sold on grey markets to technology companies looking to cut costs who purchase equipment of dubious origin. Frequently, a foreign buyer — for example, in China, where access to advanced US technology is restricted — is secured even before the theft takes place. All of this indicates that highway thefts are increasingly less random or situational, evolving into a precise criminal industry tailored to the infrastructure of the digital economy.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Подмена GPS и охота за серверами: преступники стали угонять грузы для дата-центров на миллионы долларов window-new](https://3dnews.ru/1150495/podmena-gps-i-ohota-za-serverami-prestupniki-ugonyayut-gruzi-dlya-datatsentrov-na-millioni-dollarov) - Primary source containing a description of the scheme, loss amounts ($100M since June, $13M and $10M in specific incidents), geography (Fayetteville/Georgia, California—Texas), and distribution channels. Independent verification of every episode is not provided in the materials.

## FAQ

### What are the total losses from such crimes?

Since early June, total losses from thefts of data center equipment have exceeded 100 million dollars.

### How exactly do criminals intercept shipping orders?

They hack freight brokers' accounts on load-board platforms, post fake requests, and send victims a malicious link. Clicking it installs malware providing account access and the ability to bid on real orders.

### How do criminals avoid cargo tracking?

In certain incidents, GPS coordinate substitution was used: even during application monitoring, the cargo's location coordinates were falsely altered.

### What happened in the two largest theft cases?

A $13M shipment to Fayetteville (Georgia) and a $10M shipment from California to Texas were escorted by off-duty police; security vehicles were rammed by a sedan and an SUV respectively, trucks escaped, and the equipment could not be found.

### Where does the stolen equipment go?

The hardware is rarely listed on public marketplaces; it is stripped for components and sold on grey markets, including to foreign buyers such as in China.