<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Lobster worth $US400,000 ($597,100), 40,000 oysters and a cache of crabmeat all were stolen in separate incidents within weeks of each other in the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/usa" rel="" target="_blank" title="US"><span>US</span></a><span> New England region.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The first batch of seafood vanished on November 22 in Falmouth, Maine, where authorities suspect someone stole 14 cages full of oysters from an aquaculture site in Casco Bay.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Many of the oysters were full-grown and ready for sale, and together with the cages were worth $US20,000 ($29,855), according to the Maine Marine Patrol.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This is a devastating situation for a small businessman," said Marine Patrol Sergeant Matthew Sinclair.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://wwos.nine.com.au/cricket/news-2025-damien-martyn-rushed-to-hospital-sick-illness-australia-world-cup-batter-hero/595d6319-a771-4d99-be21-27c4c0d91917" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Aussie cricket legend 'in fight of his life' in induced coma</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The other two thefts happened in Taunton, Massachusetts, about 255km away. First, a load of crab disappeared after leaving the Lineage Logistics warehouse on December 2.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Then, on December 12, lobster meat destined for Costco stores in Illinois and Minnesota was stolen by a fraudulent trucking company, according to the broker who arranged the pickup.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/seafood-worth-hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars-stolen-new-england-us/c845c754-adc9-4084-980f-c3d6a454eff2" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The carrier we hired impersonated a real carrier," Dylan Rexing, CEO of Rexing Companies, said Tuesday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/new-years-eve-preparations-australia-getting-ready-to-see-off-2025-sydney-crowds-gathering/3ad3c17e-fc6b-4d10-8d07-43c2b5d75535" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Revellers defy terror fears to flock to Sydney NYE celebrations</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They had a spoofed email address. They changed the name on the side of the truck. The made a fake certified driver's license. It's a very sophisticated crime."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Lineage Logistics, Costco and Taunton Police did not respond to requests for comment, but Rexing said police told him about the crab theft from the same warehouse.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That kind of cargo theft has been a problem for over a decade, he said, but has gotten worse in recent years.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/january-1-2026-changes-australia-cash-mandate-welfare-payment-increase-and-end-of-energy-rebates/3ee6f54c-b827-499b-889d-86acec262250" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Your guide to all the changes in effect from January 1, 2026</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It happens every day, multiple times a day," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Freight theft generally falls into two categories, said Chris Burroughs, president and CEO of Transportation Intermediaries Association, a trade organisation for the freight brokerage industry.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The lobster heist fits in the first type, which involves someone impersonating a legitimate trucking company. The second type, known as strategic theft, often involves using phishing emails to gain access to computer systems and get paid without actually stealing the product.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This is a massive growing problem that needs to get addressed," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Given its short shelf life, the stolen lobster likely ended up restaurants, both said. And while he's seen plenty of quips about stealing butter to go with the lobster, Rexing said such thefts ultimately harm consumers.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Whether you eat seafood or not, they're stealing other items. They're stealing items to build your cars. They're stealing items that go into computers," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Ultimately, that cost gets thrown to the consumer."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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