How to Prevent Porch Pirates in Buffalo, NY
Did you know that Buffalo, New York, had the sixth most porch pirate incidents during the pandemic?
These days, Amazon Prime users report that they receive around one package each week. Such frequent drop-offs are a delicious target for those who might wish to take advantage of unguarded packages. So, how do you deal with "porch pirates" like these while staying safe?
Below we explore some of the options available to you should you want to avoid being a victim of porch theft. As you read through the article, make sure to make a note of the best ways to protect yourself. At the end of the article, you can also check out our website for more info on home security and how to prevent nefarious actors from taking your packages.
What Is a Porch Pirate?
A porch pirate is a very specific type of opportunistic thief. If they see a package that someone delivers to a house, they will attempt to find out if the person living there is still at home. If they are not, the porch pirate will trespass on the package owner's property, take the package, and leave with it.
It is an unfortunate truth that there are those in this world who wish to uplift their fortune by turning others into victims. Reasons for this, include disenfranchisement, poverty, and lack of access to job opportunities. All of these will mean that your package is in danger of disappearing one day when you least expect it.
How Many Packages Are Stolen Each Year?
Over a third of all Americans have suffered from a porch pirate at some point in their lives. In one year alone, over two hundred million packages disappeared from outside their owners' homes. As these cost on average $50 to $200, it led to up to a billion dollars in losses.
As you can see, this is a very common occurrence, and as such, the police take it very seriously. Some states have even enacted specific laws. These both prevent and punish such actions with thousands of dollars in fines and several years in prison.
Despite this, there was a major rise in the number of packages that people stole from porches during the pandemic. This is because more people had things sent to their homes while they worked from a home office.
Now that people are living with the virus as a norm, things seem to be getting worse instead of better. People are much more used to getting deliveries to their homes. As such more items remain unattended as people return to the office.
How to Stop Porch Pirates
There are many ways that one can deter porch pirates. Some are much stronger in their effectiveness than others. Here is a short list of some examples for you to compare:
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Porch Pirate Bags
A porch pirate bag is a commercial product that you can choose to buy and set up on your property. The intent is that the person delivering a package puts it inside the bag, and then attaches it to a fence or door on your property. In theory, this stops someone from taking it and quickly escaping later on.
While they might be effective, they can end up looking unprofessional. You have what amounts to a bag hanging from part of your property, and it signals to others that you receive packages regularly. You also need to teach the local delivery people how to use them.
Drop Box
This is an alternative option to the porch pirate bag. It is a special box that one can open and put the package inside, and then close. When the box closes, the package drops down into a secure area that only you can open, much like many mailboxes.
These work very well but can take up a lot of space on your property. Also, if you lose the keys you will be out of luck and unable to access your packages until you find them again.
Require a Signature
When you order a package, it is not uncommon to see an option to "require a signature". This encourages the deliverer to knock on your door and find you personally. Thus, you will have a complete chain of ownership from the dispatcher to your hands.
The negative side of needing a signature is that it can sometimes be hard to be at home when deliveries happen. With people returning to the office now that the pandemic is lower in priority, this is even more significant. Thus, you might end up unable to receive the package and end up needing to reschedule its delivery at a time to suit you.
Get to Know the Delivery People
Another option is to get to know the people who deliver your packages. With a better relationship with your delivery drivers, you might be able to encourage them to only give the package to you. You will also avoid drivers who leave the package somewhere in plain sight.
Of course, this is not always possible. With the distributed methods of delivery that companies such as Amazon have, you might see a different delivery driver every day. This makes this option very hard to use with anything except your regular mail delivery.
Security Camera Installation
By having a security camera by your front door, you have the best chance of catching any potential package thief.
A high-quality camera gives you an excellent level of digital evidence and visual aids for the police to use when you inform them of the theft.
Security cameras are often linked to automated recording systems. These will record on a continuous loop for several days before re-recording over previous information. Although, you can remove the data long before that as a record of what has occurred in your home's vicinity.
Of course, we cannot expect you to watch their security camera at all times. With this in mind, you could go one step further and think about putting in a doorbell camera. Systems such as these can give you an unprecedented level of visibility of who approaches your home.
Doorbell cameras often come with motion detectors, so your smartphone will ping if someone delivers your package. It then goes off again if someone goes near your packages.
If you often receive late-night or early-morning deliveries, this can help even more. Many doorbell cameras also have night vision modes. These can allow you to see people who are close to your home even in almost pitch-black conditions.
As doorbell cameras are often 180-degree fish eye lenses, you can also get a very good view of the entire area around your home's front door.
Smart Home Installation
On top of doorbell cameras, many other options should allow you to create a secure drop-off point for your packages. By having a handyman build you a smart home, you can empower yourself to receive every package without a thief's fingers touching it.
First of all, if you have Amazon Prime and the Amazon Key service, you have a powerful tool at your disposal. With Prime, you can give Amazon's delivery drivers temporary access to your home.
They can approach your home with a special app and unlock your door to drop off packages. If you have worries about privacy, then you do not need to put this on your front door. You could install it in a garage or a shed instead, turning the area into a secure drop-off point.
The Amazon Key service also works alongside Amazon's camera systems and third-party smart locks to give you the peace of mind that you need here.
Similarly, smart padlocks and other forms of smart storage can empower specific delivery companies to deliver to you. The delivery drivers will have access to the lock, letting them drop off deliveries and leaving you happy.
Other Options
If none of the above appeals to you, you can always investigate other methods of deterring theft. For example, some people have created advanced systems that spray thieves with glitter and harsh chemicals. Alongside an in-built GPS in the package, this allows police to track people better and catch any potential criminals.
Of course, this may not be your best option, especially if you do not have the engineering ability to recreate it. This is why some people are resorting to packages filled with their pet's droppings, or similar. Although, it is obvious that this is not as good as a smart home installation instead.
More on Preventing Porch Pirates
With the above in mind, you should now have a much better idea of what porch pirates are as well as how to stop them. If you still have questions, we are here to help you in the future.
We focus on smart homes and other internal electrical installations, so you can always let us know if you need some help securing your home. Our specialists can talk to you about what your needs are and work with you to ensure that they are met. So, call now and let us know how we can assist you.
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