Package thieves snatched US$12 billion in goods this 12 months, based on a report released Tuesday by Security.org.
Based on a survey of 11,000 adults in 50 states, the report also noted that one-quarter of American adults have had a package stolen, and 4% (14 million people) suffered a theft throughout the last three months. The common value of every stolen parcel was $204, meaning nearly $3 billion in e-commerce merchandise was swiped over this past summer, it added.
“America’s thriving economy is pushing ahead, and its robust performance is reflected by continued retail growth, mainly driven by surging e-commerce sales,” the report explained. “Such encouraging signs are a green light for merchants and a beacon for greedy porch pirates.”
“Our survey found that nine out of 10 consumers shop online no less than once per thirty days, and half achieve this weekly,” it continued. “That much activity generates a treasure trove of parcels and hundreds of thousands of possible victims.”
Yr over 12 months, package theft is a continuous problem, added Security.org Senior Industry Analyst Corie Wagner. “It’s definitely against the law of opportunity, and we see it increase around times when there’s more opportunity,” she told the E-Commerce Times.
“When quite a lot of people began going back to the office after the lockdowns of the pandemic, we saw a surge in package theft rates,” she explained. “After which we see them rise around major shopping occasions, similar to the vacations. So we expect that in this time of 12 months, package theft goes to extend.”
Organized Package Theft Rings
Package theft is becoming an increasingly significant issue, asserted Jack Berry, president of Security Explorer, a security services broker in Los Angeles.
“This trend could possibly be attributed to the growing reliance on e-commerce for purchases,” he told the E-Commerce Times. “Adding to the issue is the low security amongst American families, as identified by the report, where 42% of the population sometimes leaves their doors unlocked, while around 15% achieve this even once they will not be home. Such negligence makes their homes easy targets for burglars and increases the possibilities of package theft.”
“Package theft is worsening as online shopping becomes more frequent and convenient,” added Harry Kazakian, founder and CEO of USA Express Legal and Investigative Services, a provider of legal support services in Woodland Hills, Calif.
“The pandemic accelerated this trend, and plenty of people now order multiple packages every week,” he told the E-Commerce Times. “This creates reliable, visible opportunities for thieves, especially the more sophisticated ones who work profitable neighborhoods on a consistent basis — identical to kids all the time appear to know which homes have the most effective candy at Halloween.”
“Like organized retail crime, package theft has turn into more sophisticated,” added Suni Shamapande, a principal at PwC, a world skilled services company.
“Initially an opportunistic crime, the rise in home deliveries has turned it right into a business for some perpetrators,” he told the E-Commerce Times.
Dueling Statistics
After seven years of tracking package theft, it looks like porch piracy could also be leveling out, maintained Rebecca Edwards, managing editor and safety expert at SafeWise, a house safety and security company, in Salt Lake City.
SafeWise also keeps tabs on porch piracy, and its numbers are much higher than those of Security.org. “We didn’t see any huge spikes within the variety of packages swiped 12 months over 12 months, however the bad news is that loss from package theft is growing — to almost $16 billion,” Edwards told the E-Commerce Times.
“Using our SafeWise proprietary data and national crime statistics, we estimate about 91 million package theft incidents in 2023,” she noted. “That features incidents where a number of packages were taken, so the full variety of individual packages stolen easily tops 120 million. That’s a slight year-over-year increase from 119 to 120 million, but that matches fluctuations in population, so we are able to safely say that package theft could have reached its zenith.”
One in all the challenges of the porch piracy problem is there isn’t any good data on the problem from either the retailers or law enforcement, so we depend on surveys similar to these, explained Ed Burnett, former vp of security and global fraud investigations at United Parcel Service, who’s now retired.
“It’s hard to know if the issue goes up or down an entire lot, nevertheless it appears to be pretty regular over the previous few years,” he told the E-Commerce Times.
Consumers Getting Smarter About Package Theft
Berry advised consumers to be concerned about package theft, especially in the course of the holidays when the quantity of deliveries spikes. “Aside from the immediate lack of costly presents or mandatory items, package theft comes with the danger of identity fraud,” he explained. “It is because several packages include personal information on their shipping labels, which is a goldmine for fraudsters.”
“This dual threat of economic and identity loss can severely dampen the festive spirit,” he said. “Due to this fact, heightened awareness and preventive measures are crucial.”
One in all the most important changes Edwards has found this 12 months is that more individuals are taking motion to stop package theft. “Consumers are getting smarter,” she observed. “Nationwide, only one in 4 people don’t do anything to discourage porch pirates — despite the fact that greater than half of all Americans told us they worry that they’ll have a package stolen.”
“Those numbers change drastically after someone loses a package — greater than eight in 10 added a deterrent after having a package snatched,” she said.
Consumers are also showing more interest in surveillance hardware. Wagner noted Security.org’s survey numbers show 52% of all households — renters and homeowners — have a security camera, in comparison with 42% in 2023, and 45% have video doorbells, in comparison with 37% in 2023.
Precautionary Steps To Avoid Porch Piracy
Besides buying security hardware, Melanie McGovern, director of public relations and social media on the International Association of Higher Business Bureaus, offers the following pointers for lowering the danger of becoming a victim of porch pirates:
- Don’t leave packages unattended.
- Ship to store, storefront, or post office box.
- Some online retailers offer delivery to a pickup location inside one other store that has a physical location near you. Check your delivery options when ordering.
- Require a signature.
- Opt-in to shipping-related emails.
- Arrange your personal notifications along with your smartphone or app to remind you of the date and time of expected delivery.
“Package theft is usually an opportunity-driven crime, so the less time a package is visible on the front porch, the higher,” Burnett added. “Even something so simple as leaving a note for the delivery person to cover a package behind something in your porch that keeps it from being visible from the road is a fantastic first step.”
