Porch piracy: Here’s what we learned after watching hours of YouTube videos showing packages being pilfered from homes
Deliveries of groceries and packages are soaring as physical retailers close their doors and tens of millions of Americans “shelter in place.” Moreover, the need for social distancing may encourage more delivery workers to leave packages unattended on porches rather than risk an interaction with someone who has the coronavirus.
These conditions may be perfect for thieves, who prior to the pandemic were increasingly pilfering packages from homes across the country.
About 11 million homeowners reported having a package stolen in 2017 – and a separate 2018 survey found that almost a fifth of Americans said they had been a victim. Three-quarters of the 2017 thefts occurred during the day, and the average cost of the stolen items was close to US$200.
I led a recent study of “porch piracy” to...