Someone Stole $400,000 Worth of Lobster Destined for Costco Using a 'Sophisticated' Phishing Scam
The Great Lobster Heist has investigators scratching their heads.
The Great Lobster Heist has investigators scratching their heads.
By Jonathan Small | edited by Jessica Thomas | Dec 30, 2025
Thieves brazenly stole $400,000 worth of lobster from a Massachusetts facility earlier this month using an eleborate phishing scam. The lobster was supposed to go to Costco locations in Minnesota and Illinois, but the culprits had other plans.
First, they slightly altered the email domain name of a real trucking company, then showed up with fake commercial driver’s licenses and a tractor-trailer branded with the real company’s name. After picking up the lobster meat, the thieves turned off GPS trackers. The crustaceans haven’t been seen since.
Dylan Rexing, CEO of Rexing Cos., the logistics firm coordinating the shipment, said he believes a large criminal organization was behind the theft. “This is a very sophisticated crime,” he said. The FBI is reportedly hot on their tail.
Thieves brazenly stole $400,000 worth of lobster from a Massachusetts facility earlier this month using an eleborate phishing scam. The lobster was supposed to go to Costco locations in Minnesota and Illinois, but the culprits had other plans.
First, they slightly altered the email domain name of a real trucking company, then showed up with fake commercial driver’s licenses and a tractor-trailer branded with the real company’s name. After picking up the lobster meat, the thieves turned off GPS trackers. The crustaceans haven’t been seen since.
Dylan Rexing, CEO of Rexing Cos., the logistics firm coordinating the shipment, said he believes a large criminal organization was behind the theft. “This is a very sophisticated crime,” he said. The FBI is reportedly hot on their tail.