Dog poop, GPS trackers and security cameras: weapons in the war on ‘porch pirates’
Online shopping has led to a boom in the thieves disguised as delivery workers stealing packages from outside front doors across America
They operate in the middle of the day, when many residents are at work and the delivery vans are making their rounds.
They tend to follow FedEx, UPS and US mail workers down streets, on the lookout for packages they can nab. Some even dress in uniforms to avoid suspicion.
As internet retailers make big gains against shopping malls this holiday season, “porch pirates” have been out in force stealing their piece of the pie.
Customers are increasingly using Amazon, eBay and other retailers to buy goods they previously purchased in stores – especially around Christmas, when UPS delivers more than 30 million packages a day in the week before the holiday.
The problem is that many of those packages end up on unattended doorsteps, unlocked mailboxes and stoops. All this curbside commerce has created a new class of criminal dedicated to pilfering as many packages as possible.
Police say that in an era of heightened security at stores and shopping centres, porch pirating has become one of the easiest forms of petty theft.
Cracking down on the bandits has proved difficult. Some police departments have resorted to elaborate stings in which they leave package with GPS trackers inside in hopes of luring would-be thieves. Residents have installed high-tech camera systems that capture the crimes on tape, but the recordings have done little to prevent the thefts.