The 5 Best Ways to Stop Porch Pirates
By Krystal Rogers-Nelson
As more consumers embrace the convenience of shopping online, it’s given rise to a new problem—package theft. While the scope of this kind of property theft is often underestimated because many incidents aren’t reported to the police, a 2017 study estimates 25.9 million people in the US had packages stolen from their doorsteps during the holiday shopping season.
Delivery services like UPS, which do a brisk business all year round thanks to online shopping behemoths like Amazon, have started taking pictures of packages left on the doorstep as proof of delivery. Police departments also run “bait” programs where decoy packages are equipped with GPS devices to tempt and catch would-be thieves.
Despite these measures, instances of package theft continue to be a main concern, especially during the holiday shopping season. If you’d like to secure your online treasures from porch pirates, here are five technology solutions that can help both deter package theft and track down the culprits.
1. Get a motion-sensor porch light
Keeping your front porch or doorstep illuminated is a practical, low-cost solution that deters all kinds of property theft. A motion sensor light can put after-hours intruders center stage and create the impression of occupancy even when you’re not at home.
Plus, while it’s essential to keep your entrance well lit, don’t forget to provide a planter or bush that screens some of the real estate on your doorstep and gives your delivery person a place to hide your packages in plain sight. Providing a bit of camouflage on your doorstep protects your packages from the prying eyes of a passerby.
2. Sign up for delivery notifications
The first step to solving a problem is becoming better informed, and that’s true even when it comes to package theft. Sign up for notifications so you’ll be able to track when your package is delivered, and if you’re going to be on vacation, put a hold on your mail. You can also ask for a signature on delivery, which will keep shipments from being dropped off on your doorstep at odd hours. Home hubs and personal assistants like Alexa can coordinate your notifications and keep you up to date on when your packages arrive.
3. Install a security camera
Installing home security cameras near entrances can help deter break-ins, and those cameras can also pull double duty by catching package thieves in the act. Even opting for a small, economical solution like the Ring doorbell camera can discourage porch pirates on the prowl. The Ring app has a reporting feature that lets its community of homeowners upload videos of crime occurring in their neighborhoods, leveraging the power of social media to catch culprits and thwart package theft.
4. Schedule drop-off to another location
Some delivery services allow you to personalize your drop-off location, so get packages delivered to someplace you spend most of your time during the week, like your workplace. UPS My Choice lets you set up delivery to any location with a street address, customize alerts, and follow up to reroute your package. Even the United States Postal Service offers Package Intercept, a service you can use to reroute an item that hasn’t been delivered yet to a more suitable location.
5. Get Amazon Key or Amazon Locker
If, like much of the US, you do most of your online shopping through Amazon, you can take advantage of a couple of services to manage your deliveries. One is Amazon Key, which allows Prime members in eligible locations to have packages delivered inside their home or vehicle via keyless entry. If the concept of a random delivery person having access to your home, however briefly, isn’t your cup of tea, you can utilize Amazon Locker instead. This Amazon feature provides access to a network of locker locations you can choose from at checkout to determine where your package should be delivered and gives you access to the six-digit code that unlocks the box.
Even minor changes can help
Last but not least, there are some low-tech solutions you can use to deter package theft, including asking a neighbor to keep an eye out for your deliveries or working out a special hiding place or lockbox where your postal delivery person or UPS driver can leave your packages. Whatever you decide to do to protect your deliveries, technology can help ensure you (and your packages) aren’t dependent on the kindness of strangers this holiday shopping season.
Krystal Rogers-Nelson
A freelance writer specializing in tech, home automation, and family safety.
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