Porch Pirates at Large

Roadwarrior

Roadwarrior

Member
I was like many web users until I was hacked via games on Facebook back in 2016. I stupidly used the same password for Gmail & FB. l felt violated, much like when my auto was broken into. Since that time I've gone overboard with online security. I know what works for me & haven't had a problem since.

The other day my DD was sitting out in the carport smoking. She watched as our neighbor received a UPS package @ her front door. The neighbor wasn't home. After the van left a middle aged female driver stopped her vehicle & exited, walking briskly towards the neighbor's she caught sight of our DD. Stopped & turned around, got back in her auto and sped off. Evidently there has been a rash of hits by porch pirates around our city. Lesson learned - know what's coming & when.
 

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birdy said:
I've heard some of these thieves will follow delivery vans to locate the packages.
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yes they do...there's actual video evidence on youtube where on people Video doorbell cameras, you can see the robbers follwing the delivery van, and then stealing the package as soon as it is left on the doorstep..

There's some hilarious videos too where people have left Booby traps for Porch Pirates..

I've spoken of this several times on here. When we first had our Video ring doorbell.. and it really was brand new on the market, hardly anybody else had one.. My husband had a box of 6 bottle of wine delivered to him via UPS or Dps by a business associate .. and we weren't home, and the driver literally left it on the doorstep.

Along came a guy in clear view of the doorbell and just stole the wine... the fact the driver left something clearly labelled with Virgin Wines on the box on our doorstep had been debated on here a few times, with certain people claiming I was lying..

Anyway long story short, my husband contacted the police they asked for the footage.. and they arrested the Thief.. apparently already known to them .. and he was taken to court and fined, and ordered to pay us compensation

Needless to say we didn't get any recompense from him.. but it pleased us to know he'd got yet another crime added to his record...

And for those who doubt this story....and i remember those who sniggered and sneered last time I related this story..

here is the letter we received from the court to say the price of the stolen goods were to be repaid by the thief. I've removed our identifying name and address, but not the name of the thief..
doorstep-thief-compensation-letter-ID-removedcourt.jpg
 

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hollydolly said:
I was accused of lying about a delivery driver leaving a box of wine on the doorstep..Purwell... it is ridiculous of course, but it definitely happened..
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When I order canned catfood online, it doesn't even come in a box most of the time. They just drop a case of catfood at my door.

Our city is considering all packages be left at the post office or some official pick-up location. Like, if you registered your business as a UPS pick-up location, the city would send you an annual check and cover the cost of 2 surveillance cameras.

UPS isn't happy about that. Probly because they'd have to layoff some drivers...Sac is a large city. Sactonians generally don't like it either because they'd lose a convenience.

Another idea they're kicking around is for all major package delivery services to share the cost of installing lockers on the front porches, patios or decks of frequent package recipients, and their drivers would carry a fits-all key. All the delivery services insist that the people should bear the cost of buying and installing lockers, but that presents an issue with the keys. To solve that issue, the city proposed that UPS et al pay for installing custom locks on the lockers people buy and their drivers carry a fits-all key.

These ideas have gone nowhere so far.
 
I think that all packages regardless of what carrier they come through should be delivered at the USPS. UPS or FedEx could send out messages and we could pick them up. That way they wouldn't be stolen or left to the elements. I also like that locker idea.
 
Myra said:
I think that all packages regardless of what carrier they come through should be delivered at the USPS. UPS or FedEx could send out messages and we could pick them up. That way they wouldn't be stolen or left to the elements. I also like that locker idea.
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You can buy parcel lockers that have a keypad and code. After you get the tracking number for something you ordered online, you write the code in the delivery instruction box on the UPS or FedEx website.

I don't think the USPS has that feature on their website.
 
Don't blame yourself for using the same password twice. These hackers should be going to prison, but we don't have laws that do that.

With that in mind, do use two-factor identification everywhere possible.

I hope you told your neighbor what happened.
 
@hollydolly I don't understand why people disbelieve your stories. This happens constantly in the U.S. I have told people to stop having packages delivered to their doors. Either pay the $11 a month for a post office box so all deliveries can go to the post office and be held for you, or pick up Amazon items and others at their pick-up locations. UPS and FedEx both have pick up locations and people can route deliveries there if they are not home. Just have to sign up for an account with each of them.
 
VintageBetter said:
@hollydolly I don't understand why people disbelieve your stories. This happens constantly in the U.S. I have told people to stop having packages delivered to their doors. Either pay the $11 a month for a post office box so all deliveries can go to the post office and be held for you, or pick up Amazon items and others at their pick-up locations. UPS and FedEx both have pick up locations and people can route deliveries there if they are not home. Just have to sign up for an account with each of them.
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the amazing thing is.. that it's not here in the uk that people disbelieve it..it was actually people on this forum..in the USA & Canada, ... one person all but called me a liar.. sneering at the idea that a Box of wine would have been left on the doorstep.... but it was, and it did get stolen, and we were very lucky because it was at the start of the pandemic, and the Video ring doorbells were a new concept so it was one of the first prosecutions for the police using our Video evidence.... I doubt very much 4 years on that the police would take as much interest now that every other person has video ring doorbells, and thieves knows this and tend to mask up..
 
I use a free feature of USPS-it is called " informed delivery".

When they deliver a package they take a photo of it on my deck, and email me the photo ,and then I know it has been properly delivered here.

However many times I am not home, or I have put a Stop sign on my lower deck steps- if I am on Zoom or doing sensitive work regarding helping veterans with their medical records-so I have to respect HIPPA laws and found it very disturbing, for years, even in this rural area to have unexpected company show up, knowing I would be home... and knowing I did volunteer work for veterans,
but they felt that was not important.

I have been doing that work for over 41 years and it is Very Important .

I am not antisocial at all- but I also had a friend, a medical transcriber, who worked at home and had the same problem and same frustrations.


I leave index cards and a pen for anyone to put down their phone number on the Stop Sign clipboard and I will call them, when I have time.

My tree man left his card last year for me, and some solar company left their card. I didn't call the Solar people back.

Also I track amazon stuff and try to be home when it looks like the delivery man is fairly close to me.

Also my neighbors keep an eye on me- one of them calls me up if he passes by and sees a strange car in my driveway.

He used to pull right into my driveway sometimes, to see who was here-and I didn't really appreciate that.
 
We also use Informed Delivery, and have a doorbell cam installed covering the porch.

Unfortunately we also have this problem in the neighborhood. One guy actually stole a doorbell cam right off someone's porch. He was videoed by the camera he was stealing and was caught later on that day.
I don't have any idea what this guy was thinking either, but he was very photogenic..
 
We have the option to have a parcel sent to the post office if it’s valuable. If I’m away and receive notice on my phone of a delivery, I’ll call and ask a neighbour to set it aside.

Reading the local rants, lots of valuable items are left on porches and many disappear. Worse, the drivers leave it on someone else’s porch and send a confirmation photo of delivery.

The drivers don’t know or care what they’re delivering. Speed is everything for them.
 
hollydolly said:
yes they do...there's actual video evidence on youtube where on people Video doorbell cameras, you can see the robbers follwing the delivery van, and then stealing the package as soon as it is left on the doorstep..

There's some hilarious videos too where people have left Booby traps for Porch Pirates..

I've spoken of this several times on here. When we first had our Video ring doorbell.. and it really was brand new on the market, hardly anybody else had one.. My husband had a box of 6 bottle of wine delivered to him via UPS or Dps by a business associate .. and we weren't home, and the driver literally left it on the doorstep.

Along came a guy in clear view of the doorbell and just stole the wine... the fact the driver left something clearly labelled with Virgin Wines on the box on our doorstep had been debated on here a few times, with certain people claiming I was lying..

Anyway long story short, my husband contacted the police they asked for the footage.. and they arrested the Thief.. apparently already known to them .. and he was taken to court and fined, and ordered to pay us compensation

Needless to say we didn't get any recompense from him.. but it pleased us to know he'd got yet another crime added to his record...

And for those who doubt this story....and i remember those who sniggered and sneered last time I related this story..

here is the letter we received from the court to say the price of the stolen goods were to be repaid by the thief. I've removed our identifying name and address, but not the name of the thief..
doorstep-thief-compensation-letter-ID-removedcourt.jpg
Click to expand...
I'm trying to figure out why you weren't believed HD! Too bad you didn't get reimbursed. Talk about funny videos featuring porch pirates...here's one of a person in a trash bag. Apparently he/she got away with it.

 
Problem we have with 'informed delivery' through USPS is two-fold, Since the pandemic they have downsized their service. Closed the office nearest us, & only work with two clerks (sometimes, one). The only branch is 5 miles away through heavy traffic. Then when you get inside, there is usually a long line waiting. It is the only large branch serving 180K residents so it's a quest to get waited on.

I'd rather go to my dentist than try to get my packages.
 
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Porch piracy around here doesn’t happen, but I did have a strange experience. Doorbell rang. Opened the door and there was a sheriff holding an Amazon box addressed to me. It was garbage pickup day and it seems a guy a few blocks away went out to put something in his garbage can waiting for pickup, and he found his can stuffed full of unopened Amazon packages. Huh?
 


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