Catching "Porch Pirates" on Camera

I often wonder how many packages the average porch pirate steals before they get something of value that they can use or sell.

With my luck it would be all Metamucil, Depends, and cat toys!

I’ve been fortunate that this has not been a significant problem in the apartment complex where I live.

The big petty theft problem in my immediate area is old fashioned shoplifting.

When people say that they need to ‘pick up a few things’ they mean it.

Many of the panhandlers at the local strip mall now offer a bag of candy from the $tore if you can spare a dollar for the bus.
 
debodun said:
Those could be useful to the right person. ;)
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The videos of porch thefts are funny to watch when they're traps... like when the thief ends up with a box full of doggy doodoo. :poop: I always wish it would also be recorded when they got home and opened their treasure. Yeah, I know... it doesn't take much to amuse me. 🤣
 
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I guess I'm the "devil's advocate". Why do people think nobody would steal goods left, unguarded, on a porch? After living 20-30 years on this planet, this ain't news to anyone. There's a big box, sitting on a porch, with "Take me" all over it, and yet some are amazed that "pirates' walk off with it? This isn't a crime that needs years of criminal insight and training. Anybody, who is able to walk, can pull off this crime. I can't figure out why some people couldn't think piracy wasn't possible.
 
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fuzzybuddy said:
I guess I'm the "devil's advocate". Why do people think nobody would steal goods left, unguarded, on a porch?
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I'd guess that only those retired or unemployed would be home 24/7 to get packages in. It would be nice to be able to choose "deliver after 5 p.m." but I don't think any of the carriers offer that. There's probably some kind of box... well no, it couldn't be a locked package box, or the UPS/FedEx/Mail people couldn't get in it either.... not sure if there's a solution.
 
I've told this story several times here.. but we had a box of wine stolen from the doorstep, despite having the Video ring doorbell..

One person here on the forum, all but called me a liar saying no-one would leave a box of wine on the doorstep.. well they did...

It was an annual gift to my husband which he received every year from another business.. and we'd always been at home for it before.. but this time we'd not had any notice it was coming..

MY husband was so incensed about the theft, he called the police, and they asked him to take stills from the ring doorbell.. and send them , which he did.. and within 2 days they'd arrested a guy , apparently known to them ...but in the meantime my O/H printed pictures of this thief taking the wine.. and posted them all around the neighbourhood


The thief was taken to court and fined.. ...the company sent another box of wine...


I have removed our identifying details, but make no apologies about leaving the thief's name


doorstep-thief-compensation-letter-court.jpg
 
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I think many times the theives aren't identifiable so it's hard to catch and prosecute them. Also I don't think the police are going to dedicate many resources chasing down porch pirates because the crimes are usually petty theft.

I've seen a few funny videos of porch pirates getting their just dues. Exploding packages or other traps, or even wrecking their cars trying to flee. One video had some woman grab a box and dash across a flower bed only to fall and snap her ankle. That was gruesome but I didn't feel sorry for her.
 
CallMeKate said:
I'd guess that only those retired or unemployed would be home 24/7 to get packages in. It would be nice to be able to choose "deliver after 5 p.m." but I don't think any of the carriers offer that. There's probably some kind of box... well no, it couldn't be a locked package box, or the UPS/FedEx/Mail people couldn't get in it either.... not sure if there's a solution.
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They have them. It stays unlocked until the deliverer puts a package in it. The deliverer locks it, the owner unlocks it.

Amazon sells them for $50 to $200.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
I guess I'm the "devil's advocate". Why do people think nobody would steal goods left, unguarded, on a porch? There's a big box, sitting on a porch, with "Take me" all over it, and yet some are amazed that "pirates' walk off with it? This isn't a crime that needs years of criminal insight and training. Anybody, who is able to walk, can pull off this crime. I can't figure out why some people couldn't think piracy wasn't possible.
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We have almost daily deliveries and no theft to date.
 
Aunt Bea said:
With my luck it would be all Metamucil, Depends, and cat toys!
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Woo-hoo! I'll bet that was quite the New Year's Eve party! :ROFLMAO:

I'm not saying it has never happened around here, but it's nothing we're worried about. It's pretty low on the threat list. But my neighborhood isn't walled and we don't have lawn jockeys and luxury cars out front.
 
On the rare occasion where I order something, I have it delivered to a Canada Post store front that is a 5 minute walk from our house here in Toronto. Our Canada Post mail carrier puts a pick up notice in our mailbox, and I go up the next day and collect the parcel. Works for us.
 
Pepper said:
In a "good" area of Jersey, teenage boys have been breaking into homes, only to steal the fobs for the luxury cars in driveway. Have been caught on ring cameras numerous times.
@OneEyedDiva have you seen this?
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No, I haven't seen anything about this, not on the news or in any of my news apps that feature local and N.J. news! N.J. has some very affluent neighborhoods and even entire towns. Don't think I have to worry about this in my area. :LOL:
 
We have a sign that says to leave packages at the side door, which requires going through a gate into the yard. The delivery guys are pretty good about it.

Plus, we have two dogs that sit in the bay window and bark their heads off any time a person walks by the house.

I saw an article about a guy that put his old, broken TV in the box his new one came in, and watched as a porch pirate stole it. Pretty funny.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
I guess I'm the "devil's advocate". Why do people think nobody would steal goods left, unguarded, on a porch? After living 20-30 years on this planet, this ain't news to anyone. There's a big box, sitting on a porch, with "Take me" all over it, and yet some are amazed that "pirates' walk off with it? This isn't a crime that needs years of criminal insight and training. Anybody, who is able to walk, can pull off this crime. I can't figure out why some people couldn't think piracy wasn't possible.
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Well, there used to be "If it isn't yours, you leave it alone?"
Dave03 said:
We have a sign that says to leave packages at the side door, which requires going through a gate into the yard. The delivery guys are pretty good about it.

Plus, we have two dogs that sit in the bay window and bark their heads off any time a person walks by the house.

I saw an article about a guy that put his old, broken TV in the box his new one came in, and watched as a porch pirate stole it. Pretty funny.
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Great idea!
 
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