{"id":25993,"date":"2017-09-24T18:45:07","date_gmt":"2017-09-24T18:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.parcelpending.com\/blog\/top-5-scary-facts-package-theft-prevent\/"},"modified":"2023-04-04T18:54:47","modified_gmt":"2023-04-04T18:54:47","slug":"top-5-scary-facts-package-theft-prevent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.parcelpending.com\/en-ca\/blog\/top-5-scary-facts-package-theft-prevent\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Scary Facts About Package Theft and How to Prevent It"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you know what’s scary? The fact that an estimated 23 million Americans have had at least one package stolen from their front porches or mailboxes<\/span>1<\/sup><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tune into your local news network and you’ll surely see video footage of what’s known as “<\/span>porch<\/span> pirates,” or <\/span>package thieves<\/span>, stealing packages in <\/span>plain sight<\/span> off doorsteps across the nation. With 77% of consumers now wanting their online purchases delivered to their homes<\/span>2<\/sup><\/span>, and what is poised to be a record year for online holiday shopping on the horizon<\/span>3<\/sup><\/span>, the <\/span>package theft<\/span> problem isn’t likely to go away any time soon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Porch<\/span> theft<\/span> is a common <\/span>crime<\/span> because <\/span>porch<\/span> pirates don’t have to be particularly skillful as most packages are left in <\/span>plain sight<\/span> on a resident’s <\/span>porch<\/span>. If you want to learn how to deter <\/span>package thieves<\/span>, <\/span>prevent package theft<\/span>, and reduce <\/span>crime<\/span> in your community, it may be a good idea for your community to invest in a parcel <\/span>delivery<\/span> system, such as <\/span>smart parcel lockers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read on to find out about some important <\/span>package theft statistics<\/span>, get some <\/span>package theft prevention<\/span> strategies, and learn more about the benefits of using a smart parcel <\/span>locker<\/span> to effectively <\/span>prevent package theft<\/span> by a <\/span>porch pirate<\/span> in your community.<\/span><\/p>\n

Package Theft Statistics<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Here are the top five scary facts about package mail <\/span>theft<\/span> and how to prevent it:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. It’s more common than you think.<\/b> Porch<\/span> pirating is a massive issue across the United States, from March to July 2020, 1 in 5 Americans reported a <\/span>stolen package<\/span>. And the majority of <\/span>package theft<\/span> \u2013 40% \u2013 occurs in an apartment building or community. A <\/span>package theft<\/span> victim loses an average of $106 to <\/span>porch piracy<\/span>, with 30% reporting not receiving any financial compensation for their loss. And unfortunately, less than half of Americans report that their <\/span>thief<\/span> was caught by the <\/span>police<\/span>4<\/sup><\/span>.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Consumers will go to great lengths to ensure the safe <\/b>delivery<\/b> of their packages.<\/b> According to a 2017 Shorr Packaging Corp. survey, 53% of respondents said they changed their plans so they could be home to receive a package from a <\/span>delivery person<\/span> even though the <\/span>delivery instructions<\/span> didn’t require a <\/span>signature delivery<\/span>. The survey also revealed that 20% of people will leave work early if they are expecting a <\/span>delivery<\/span>5<\/sup><\/span>. Enlisting a <\/span>trusted neighbor<\/span> can help in some cases, as they are able to monitor for and accept deliveries on your behalf. However, this <\/span>delivery option<\/span> is not <\/span>available <\/span>for every community or consumer.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Some people avoid online shopping entirely out of fear of <\/b>package theft<\/b>.<\/b> Shorr Packaging’s survey also revealed that 41% of people say they have avoided some purchases from online retailers for fear of <\/span>porch<\/span> pirating or <\/span>package theft<\/span>.<\/span> Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPIS)<\/span><\/a> is a growing way to avoid the threat of <\/span>porch<\/span> pirates altogether. BOPIS allows consumers the convenience of online shopping and the flexibility of getting their packages \u2013 often from an in-store <\/span>locker<\/span>, such as an <\/span>Amazon locker<\/span> for an <\/span>Amazon package<\/span> \u2013 on their own time.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Package theft<\/b> peaks during the holiday season.<\/b> There’s no denying that the holiday season brings a massive influx of deliveries, and thereby a correlating increase in <\/span>package theft<\/span>. In fact, apartment communities could see as many as 486 package deliveries per week during the holiday season<\/span>6<\/sup><\/span>. This is important for property managers to be aware of as the number of packages they receive typically increases from an average of 150 packages per week to 270 packages per week during the holidays \u2013 an 81% increase even during “normal” times<\/span>7<\/sup><\/span>. And more package deliveries typically mean more <\/span>package theft<\/span>.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Neighborhood watches and <\/b>home security<\/b> cameras don’t help.<\/b> While it would be nice to think that having a neighborhood watch, a <\/span>home security camera<\/span> on your front <\/span>porch<\/span>, or a <\/span>home security system<\/span> would deter <\/span>suspicious activity<\/span> and holiday <\/span>package theft<\/span>, the sad reality is that this just isn’t the case. A <\/span>video doorbell camera<\/span>, <\/span>home security camera<\/span>, or <\/span>home security system<\/span> can serve as a partial deterrent for <\/span>porch<\/span> pirates, but they rarely provide leads about the <\/span>porch piracy<\/span> for <\/span>police<\/span> to follow when footage of <\/span>suspicious activity<\/span> is handed over to law enforcement. Additionally, a <\/span>lock box<\/span> on your <\/span>porch<\/span> can be costly, hard to install, take up valuable space on your <\/span>porch<\/span>, and may even block your <\/span>door<\/span>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Smart Parcel Lockers: the Best Tool for Package Theft Prevention<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    If you are wondering how to avoid <\/span>package theft<\/span>, smart lockers are the answer. Investing in a parcel <\/span>locker<\/span> with a <\/span>smart lock<\/span> is the best apartment solution for communities interested in preventing <\/span>package theft<\/span>. Parcel lockers are electronic smart lockers that can accept deliveries from a <\/span>delivery company<\/span>, provide <\/span>delivery alerts<\/span> for recipients, and allow for easy, contact-free, and self-service pick-up around the clock, making them a secure solution for residents and multifamily community managers alike.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Nobody, property manager or community resident, wants to deal with lost or stolen packages, especially during the holidays. Unfortunately, these things sometimes happen and, as a rule of thumb, a seller is responsible for a <\/span>delivery<\/span> until it reaches the buyer and the <\/span>delivery company<\/span> lists the package as “delivered” or “notice left.”<\/span><\/p>\n

    Smart home lockers<\/span><\/a> offer peace of mind to all parties by ensuring the safe <\/span>delivery<\/span> of packages and online orders. Consumers are able to receive what they ordered securely and at their convenience, retailers don’t have to worry about replacing or refunding missing items, and property managers no longer need to worry about liability for packages stolen in or around the community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Today’s parcel lockers combine modern software and hardware technologies to enable a smooth <\/span>package delivery<\/span> process for <\/span>every <\/span>delivery<\/span> driver<\/span>, who can interact with the lockers with their existing handheld devices to assign a <\/span>delivery<\/span> to the appropriately-sized <\/span>locker<\/span> and quickly confirm <\/span>delivery<\/span> with their respective <\/span>delivery company<\/span>. A secure access code is then automatically texted or emailed to the recipient, who can enter it into the <\/span>locker<\/span> kiosk to open the appropriate <\/span>door<\/span> and retrieve their package whenever they want \u2013 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.<\/span><\/p>\n

    It’s nearly impossible to have complete <\/span>security<\/span> when a package is delivered right to your doorstep. The sad truth is that a <\/span>thief<\/span> can snatch it at any moment, leaving you without your package and in some cases, no way to get a refund. However, when using a parcel <\/span>delivery<\/span> system, such as a smart parcel <\/span>locker<\/span>, you can rest easy knowing that your deliveries will be safe and out of harm’s way.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Other Tools for Theft Prevention<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    With <\/span>FedEx Delivery Manager<\/span>, a recipient can redirect their <\/span>package delivery<\/span> to a nearby FedEx office, Walgreens store<\/span>,<\/span> or other location. <\/span>This is important because even though you have a <\/span>tracking number<\/span>, <\/span>package tracking<\/span> alone merely lets you know when a <\/span>package delivery<\/span> arrives <\/span>at your <\/span>door<\/span>, it won’t <\/span>prevent package theft<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    And UPS My Choice lets a recipient provide <\/span>delivery instructions<\/span> as to where the <\/span>delivery person<\/span> should leave a package, such as <\/span>on the <\/span>neighbor’s doorstep<\/span>, at the side of the house, on the back <\/span>porch<\/span>, or at the back <\/span>door<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Preventing Package Theft with Smart Parcel Lockers from Parcel Pending<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Parcel Pending offers a wide range of <\/span>apartment solutions<\/span><\/a> that ensure the simple and secure <\/span>delivery<\/span> and retrieval of packages and online orders. Our electronic lockers help property managers to enhance their residents’ overall experience, save valuable staff time, drive resident retention, and, most importantly, <\/span>prevent package theft<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Additional benefits include:<\/span><\/p>\n