FBI Investigating $400,000 Lobster Heist Bound for Costco

If you were planning to serve Costco lobster at your New Year’s Eve celebration… you might need a backup plan.

A truckload of lobster worth nearly $400,000 was reportedly hijacked while en route to Costco, and the FBI is now investigating what they’re calling a new and increasingly common cargo theft tactic.

According to officials, the shipment was picked up in Taunton, Massachusetts, and was headed to distribution centers in Illinois and Minnesota. But it never made it to its destination. Investigators say the thieves intercepted the shipment while it was in transit, using fake IDs and fraudulent credentials to pose as legitimate truck drivers.

The scheme reportedly involved impersonating a real carrier — complete with spoofed emails and burner phones — tricking the logistics company into handing over the high-value load.

Dylan Rexing, president of Rexing Companies, the Indiana-based freight company responsible for transporting the shipment, told NBC News:

“This theft wasn’t random. It followed a pattern we’re seeing more and more, where criminals impersonate legitimate carriers using spoofed emails and burner phones to hijack high-value freight while it’s in transit.”

The FBI is now investigating the case as part of a growing trend of organized cargo theft across the country.

And yes… it’s safe to say this crime was incredibly shellfish