As the pandemic continues to progress onward, many of us have begun using online shopping as a way to stay safe from the virus; but staying inside our homes cannot protect us from another threat, porch pirates.
A porch pirate is a known or unknown person who steals packages off of innocent people's porches. A porch pirate may not be as evil as the coronavirus, but it sure is frustrating and something to look out for when buying items online or on apps. We utilize such a significant number of apps and sites to get our groceries, beverages, meals, clothes, and home goods such as Instacart, Postmates, Amazon, etc. When online shopping, we tend to place a great deal of trust, believing that our purchases will arrive at the correct address. But, sometimes, that doesn't happen. It could be an innocent mistake or a misdelivery. Or it could be something more sinister. You could be the victim of the growing scourge of porch pirates.
Porch Pirates stalk neighborhood streets looking for delivered packages to steal. Most of the time, these thieves are gambling when they take your package. The pirates have no idea what they are stealing - it could be as simple as a toothbrush or an expensive game console (jackpot!).
How many American's Have Had Their Packages Stolen?
About 36% of United States citizens have had one of their special packages slipped away by porch pirates.
What Cities Have The Highest Ratings Of Porch Pirate Activity?
In 2019, the cities with the highest number of people who fall victim to porch pirates were Salt Lake City, Utah, San Francisico, California, Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, and Chicago, Illinois.
What Generation Is At The Highest Risk of Undergoing A Porch Pirate?
The generation that is at the most risk of undergoing a porch pirate is the Millennials. Millennials are probably the most at risk because they are the ones that tend to shop online and use apps the most compared to the older generations.
Do Porch Pirate Victims Get A Refund?
About three out of four victims that had a package stolen get refunded. But unfortunately, for people sending homemade items or family heirlooms in the mail, those people will never be able to replace their stolen items.
Does Gender Play A Role In This?
Not exactly, but more men did confess to stealing packages off of people's porches, 5.29% to be exact. At the same time, only .85% of women said that they have stolen packages.
Can The Police Help Me Catch My Porch Pirate?
One of the worst facts is that the police only handle about 10% of the cases, which means most people who steal packages off of porches get away with it. Police have so many other important things to worry about. If the business you bought your package from can replace your parcel, the law does not want to worry about it.
How Common Is It To Get A Package Stolen?
Porch pirate crime is actually on the rise. According to the New York Times, about 90,000 parcels were stolen in New York City alone in 2019. This type of crime has increased by 20% only within four years.
Well, I Am Sure If It Happens Once, It Won't Happen Again. Wrong.
If the porch pirate likes your house and your packages, most likely, they will revisit you. About 45% of people had reported their packages stolen two or more times.
What Time Of The Day Do Porch Pirates Steal?
Well, ironically enough, they do it during the daytime when the sun is shining the most. Why? Most likely, you are not at home during the day, and or if you are, you are on your computer working.
What Can I Do To Prevent A Porch Pirate From Stealing My Goods?
There are a lot of things that you can do to prevent a porch pirate from stealing your things. Such as getting a P.O. box, Ring Camera, doing curbside pickup, and always requiring a signature.
What You Can Do If You Are Missing A Package
If you are missing a package, the first step would be to ask your neighbors if they might have received your package by accident. Very often, this is what happens. If all your neighbors claim they do not have your package contact the delivery company and the company you bought the parcel. (List of stores with top customer service.) Clarify the circumstance, and in all probability, the store will replace your purchase.
To help in the process, it is always a good idea to keep your order and tracking number until the package arrives. Write down your tracking number as soon as you have completed your purchase and sign up for tracking updates through text and email. These updates are available during the checkout process. If you have purchased something of high value, it would be best to have it sent to your local post office to ensure its arrival safety. Another excellent safety precaution is buying front porch cameras. Cameras permit you to have a live video of individuals coming into contact on your entryway or patio.
Is Your Porch Pirate a Neighbor?
Now, what if your package is missing and you have an idea (suspicion) who may have taken it? Unfortunately, too often, the culprit is a neighbor. This person may know your schedule (when you are not home) and may see Amazon, Fed Ex, UPS or the Postal Service deliver a tempting package.
Or, perhaps there is someone you know that you suspect may be the person responsible. What do you do? A great starting point may be to gather some additional information on the person of interest. What you find might surprise you.
How Can GladiKnow Help
Advanced people search engines make the process of finding key information on people simple. One of the most unique and best people search engines is gladiknow.com. It's simple, highly effective, and inexpensive. GladiKnow gives you fast and confidential access to nearly a billion public records on any person in America. Here's how you use it:
Go to gladiknow.com and input their name and or location (or address) into the people search engine. Then instantly get a confidential report on the person, including that persons age, addresses and address history, emails, phones, relatives, employment history, education history, social media profiles, criminal records, sex offender records, liens, judgments, bankruptcies, civil records, traffic and infraction records, licenses, permits, and much more.
With the information in hand, you can then decide what to do. Perhaps your suspicions will be confirmed if the person’s information comes back with multiple records of criminal theft. This information would be important to the police, and typically the law will not do a background check unless they have direct evidence of the crime. However, you have no such limitation and are free to conduct your 100% confidential search anytime you wish.
Either way, using GladiKnow's advanced people search technology gives you options on how to handle your porch pirate situation. (Obviously, this process works perfectly in ANY circumstance where you want to learn more or the truth about someone, from online dating to roommates and classmates, to new friends or romantic interests - the list goes on!)
For more information on the new, advanced people search engines, check out this great video.
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