How Online Shoppers Are Trying to Foil ‘Porch Pirates’

By Free Republic | Created at 2024-12-04 08:55:40 | Updated at 2024-12-04 19:51:04 11 hours ago
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How Online Shoppers Are Trying to Foil ‘Porch Pirates’
New York Times ^ | 29th November 2024 | Matt Yan

Posted on 12/04/2024 12:37:49 AM PST by Cronos

Good news: Your package has been delivered.

Bad news: It isn’t on your porch, under the mailboxes or in a package room, if you have one.

Unfortunately, your package might have been stolen by a porch pirate, like an estimated 120.5 million last year in the United States, according to a study by SafeWise.

More people shopping online during the holiday season means more packages — and an increased risk of theft. This year, holiday spending is expected to reach a record high of $902 per person, with 57 percent of adults opting to shop online, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation. E-commerce sales have ramped up in recent years, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, increasing 43 percent in 2020 over the previous year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Most package theft is going to be a crime of opportunity,” said Ben Stickle, a professor of criminal justice administration at Middle Tennessee State University who has done research on package thefts. “And then, a package being left unguarded, where a thief can see it, is just kind of an open invitation to take it.”

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; US: New York
KEYWORDS: crime; delivery; shipping; theft

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In Poland we have these everywhere

They are call Paczkomat or "Package matic" if you translate to English

The item you order is placed in this box and you open it with an app or with a code and your phone number.

It's cheaper than a courier as they don't need to deliver to your doorstep AND you don't have to wait for them - you can pick it up within 3 days AND no stealing

There are tons of firms who are doing this - the first was INPOST (a Polish firm) and now we have DHL, DPD, Orlen all copying the same

These seem like ideal solutions for the USA

1 posted on 12/04/2024 12:37:49 AM PST by Cronos


To: Cronos

Amazon has done something like that a few places, but they took out the local one to me.

It is a good idea, I liked it.


2 posted on 12/04/2024 12:50:37 AM PST by madison10

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