Porch Pirates Are A Growing Issue – Protect Your Packages This Holiday Season
“Porch pirates” isn’t a new term. It’s an issue that’s been happening for years. Thieves will prey on homes where packages have been delivered and blatantly steal them off of front door steps and porches. And with more and more people ordering online and having items shipped to their homes, the problem seems to only be increasing.
According to CNET, almost 79% of Americans had packages stolen in 2022. Overall, 260 million packages were stolen nationwide. And it was costly. The stolen packages amounted to more than $19 million.
Of course, porch pirates can strike at any time. But the holiday season tends to be a time when more packages are delivered, leading to better opportunities for thieves.
Just having a package get lost in shipping can be frustrated. But having someone come up to your home and take a package off of your doorstep is even worse. You’ve spent the money and waited for the delivery, only to have someone else grab it before you can bring it inside. It’s not only frustrating but can leave you feeling unsafe too.
Again, porch pirates don’t just go to work during the holiday season. So it’s important to do your best to prevent theft from happening year round. But the question might be, how do you protect your property and packages?
CNET has some great tips that can help you prevent the frustration of stolen packages.
Porch Pirate Prevention
One of the most obvious ways to protect your packages is by having a doorbell camera. There are so many varieties of these on the market. And there are some really affordable options. Some cameras have motion sensors and will alert you as soon as someone is in frame. And some cameras even allow you to talk to whoever shows up. There are also cameras that will record and store video clips so in case you miss the notification, you can always go back and look.
Having a doorbell camera isn’t a 100 percent guarantee that you won’t fall victim to a thief though. Some thieves have become more brazen than ever or found ways to protect their identity.
CNET also recommends making it clear you have a home security system. This has apparently been shown to make your home less likely to be robbed.
Another thing you can do is utilize package tracking. As soon as I order something, I’m constantly checking the tracking on it. At least this way, you’ll have an idea of when the item is set to arrive. This hopefully means you’ll be able to get home before or shortly after it’s delivered, giving the thieves less time to grab it.
CNET also has a few other recommendations that I didn’t even know were a thing. Like Amazon lockers? Amazon offers a delivery option to lockers they have set up at various locations. You get notified when the package is delivered and get a code to open the locker when you go to pick up.
There are also apparently lockboxes you can buy to have on your porch, and mailbox sensors so you will know anytime your mailbox is opened.
A Few Other Ideas
If you have neighbors close by that you know well and that are home when you aren’t you could always ask if they could grab the packages and hold on to them until you get home. And depending on your work situation, you might opt to have packages delivered to your place of business.
And finally, there’s always the option of choosing to shop locally and avoid having items shipped… which isn’t always an option we know. But if you are looking for great local ideas, be sure to check out the Keepin’ It Local – CSRA Holiday Guide for some great ideas (and a chance to win a $300 Visa Gift Card)!
