{"id":185402,"date":"2025-02-11T09:14:31","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T15:14:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailycoffeenews.com\/?p=185402"},"modified":"2026-02-09T07:33:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T13:33:58","slug":"the-hijacked-load-a-cautionary-tale-for-coffee-professionals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailycoffeenews.com\/2025\/02\/11\/the-hijacked-load-a-cautionary-tale-for-coffee-professionals\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hijacked Load: A Cautionary Tale for Coffee Professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Desert<\/a>

The Desert Sun Coffee Roasters<\/a> production headquarters in Durango, Colorado. Courtesy photo.<\/p><\/div>\n

As coffee professionals, we understand the importance of managing supply chains efficiently and securely. But what happens when that chain is compromised by cybercrime? Recently, I experienced a situation in which a full truckload of coffee was stolen, and I want to share my story so you can learn from it and safeguard your operations.<\/p>\n

It all began in a routine manner. Our roastery (Desert Sun Coffee Roasters<\/a> in Durango, Colorado) was in need of replenishing our green coffee supply. We placed our order with the warehouse and reached out to our broker to arrange shipment of the load. If you\u2019re not aware of how this process works, it typically involves a broker posting a job on a load board, which is where carriers\/drivers can see available loads. A carrier chooses the load, reaches out to the broker, and from there, arrangements are made to pick up the product and deliver it. That\u2019s how it normally works. <\/span><\/p>\n

But this time, things took a turn for the worse.<\/p>\n

Enter the Hijacker<\/h3>\n

I contracted a broker to move a full truckload of coffee from our coffee supply warehouse to my roastery. Unbeknownst to us, someone had hacked into the load board where my broker had posted the job. This individual, who I\u2019ll refer to as the \u201cHijacker,\u201d assumed the role of a legitimate carrier.<\/p>\n

My broker, unaware of the hack, provided the Hijacker with all the necessary details to pick up the load. But the Hijacker had other plans. Instead of delivering the load, they reposted the job using the same information, but this time under their own fraudulent listing, double brokering the load. Double brokering is an illegal practice in the freight industry where a broker or carrier transfers a load to another company without the shipper\u2019s knowledge or consent.<\/p>\n

\"Desert<\/a>

Photo courtesy of Desert Sun Coffee Roasters.<\/p><\/div>\n

A new carrier, a legitimate one this time, picked up the job, not having a clue that they were stuck in the middle of a scam. Their truck got loaded with my coffee, and at this point, both the carrier and I were being played.<\/p>\n

Delivery day arrived, and I reached out to my broker to confirm the delivery time. That\u2019s when the nightmare started to unravel. After some back and forth, my broker admitted they had no idea where the truck was. Panic set in as they scrambled to figure out what went wrong. The Hijacker, still posing as the carrier, claimed that the truck was 30 miles away and demanded to be paid before delivering, which was out of the ordinary, since payment typically comes after delivery. My broker, of course, refused to pay because if they did, the Hijacker wouldn\u2019t pay the innocent carrier who had the freight.<\/p>\n

Days passed, and with no sign of the coffee, I was left hoping that the carrier would get fed up and deliver it anyway. But the Hijacker likely told the carrier that I was refusing to pay for the delivery and to hold off on delivering the coffee. The carrier, now caught in the middle of the scam, had no reason to trust me.<\/p>\n

The Extortion Attempt<\/h3>\n

Then came the extortion attempt. The Hijacker contacted my broker again and promised to deliver the load within 30 minutes if they received payment. Feeling the pressure, the broker reluctantly paid. But an hour later, the Hijacker claimed the truck had broken down in a nearby town and demanded more money to \u201crepair\u201d it before delivery.<\/p>\n

The broker called the police to look for the truck. Additionally, I got in my car and drove around the entire region trying to locate the truck. No truck, no coffee, nothing.<\/p>\n

\"Desert<\/a>

Photo courtesy of Desert Sun Coffee Roasters.<\/p><\/div>\n

We spent the following days contacting truck stops in the area, hoping that the truck might be parked somewhere, waiting for instructions. The poor carrier, likely distraught and unaware of the scam, was probably waiting to hear from the Hijacker that payment was on its way. The worst part? We had no way to contact the carrier directly, and every attempt to locate the truck came up empty.<\/p>\n

At this point, my broker decided to file a claim with their insurance company. They told me it could take up to nine months to resolve, which was disheartening, to say the least. I then contacted my own insurance broker, reporting the theft and starting the claims process. But this is where things took another frustrating turn.<\/p>\n

Picking Up the Pieces<\/h3>\n

I dug up an email exchange from two years prior with my insurance broker, where I had clearly outlined that I needed full coverage for the total value of any coffee being transported from the warehouse to my location. In the email, I had specified that while most carriers typically have $100,000 worth of coverage, I need additional insurance to bring the total coverage to $135,000. My broker acknowledged this, and I assumed that everything had been taken care of.<\/p>\n

But as the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place, I realized there were two major problems. First, my broker had only insured me for the $35,000 above the $100,000 that most carriers carry \u2014 without ensuring that the full $135,000 of coverage I requested was in place. Second, and more critically, there was no carrier to claim against. The scam had left us with no legitimate carrier to hold accountable for the $100,000 insurance that should have covered part of the load.<\/p>\n

\"green<\/a><\/p>\n

On top of that, I learned that my insurance only covered accidents or damages, not theft or cybercrime. In other words, the very situation I had been trying to protect myself from wasn\u2019t even covered. The insurance broker\u2019s failure to provide the right coverage seemed like negligence, and I began to consider the possibility of pursuing legal action.<\/p>\n

After everything, I reached out to my insurance broker, only to be told that my current insurance agent won\u2019t cover the entire cost of the load. Now I\u2019m actively searching for a new insurance provider, one that can protect me against the full range of risks, whether it\u2019s theft, cyber theft, accidents or damage.<\/p>\n

In the end, my transportation broker managed to come through with a check for $100,000, but it left me asking, \u2018Where does the fault really lie?\u2019\u201d Should the responsibility have fallen on the warehouse that mistakenly loaded the coffee onto the wrong truck? Was it the transportation broker\u2019s failure to properly vet the carrier? Or was it my insurance broker\u2019s neglect in not ensuring the coverage that I specifically requested?<\/p>\n

What Could I Have Done? <\/h3>\n

These questions left me reflecting on my own role, as well. Should I have been more diligent? Could I have done more to prevent this from happening? The truth is, I got lucky this time. But I hope no one reading this has to go through a similar ordeal.<\/p>\n

A few key lessons for coffee professionals:<\/p>\n