A $400,000 shipment of lobster bound for Costco stores in Illinois and Minnesota was stolen, according to Dylan Rexing, president of Rexing Companies.

The driver reportedly impersonated a legitimate carrier, using tactics such as spoofed emails and burner phones, a method Rexing says is increasingly common in high-value freight thefts.

The lobsters were not alive at the time of the theft.

Rexing noted that such losses are significant for mid-sized supply companies and ultimately increase costs for consumers, NBC News has reported.

He called for federal agencies to adopt modern enforcement tools to combat organized criminal networks targeting shipments.