Fighting Porch Pirates and More – Holiday Security Tips Part 2

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times; Porch Pirates are a real problem! With ecommerce ever on the rise and packages being placed on people’s unprotected doorsteps, these brazen predators are out to steal whatever they can. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that everyone is shopping for the holidays. Along with that, Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals equal an exponential increase in online sales.

The result: the holiday season is the ideal time for porch pirates to go on the prowl.

Admittedly, this can make people feel defenseless. If you have a full-time job, it may feel like there isn’t much you can do to prevent being prey for Porch thieves. Luckily, with some practical tips as well as advancements in easy home security solutions, you are able to fight back against porch pirates.

Join us in part 2 of our holiday security tips guide. We’ll focus mostly on combating package thieves, but many of our home security tips are applicable to a wide variety of scenarios. Whether it is simple safety measures you can take on your own, or an easy-to-use camera solutions, we want to provide you with the best tips for securing your home.

Porch Pirates by the Numbers

Here are some facts to help us understand just how big of a problem we face with porch pirates:

In recent years, reports suggest that between 20 million and 25 million people in America experience package theft. In the past year, over 10 million people reported these types of issues. As we mentioned before, ecommerce is ever on the rise. For that reason, the number of package thefts is only rising along with that.

As you may suspect, almost 75% of reported package thefts occur when people are away at work. That means no one is home to catch the perpetrator in the act. This is extremely prevalent in suburban neighborhoods where entire families are gone for the day – children at school and parents at work.

Generally speaking, packages that go missing have an estimated value of $50-$100. Considering the scale in which they go missing, this is millions and millions of dollars worth of consumer goods that end up stolen each year.

As a direct result of this, many homeowners report avoiding online purchases in fear of having their product stolen. In fact, it’s roughly 40% of all homeowners that have admitted to avoiding certain purchases for fear of porch pirates.

Combating Porch Pirates – Practical Measures

With all that stacked against us as consumers, what do we do? Sure if you have someone home to receive packages, you don’t have as much to worry about. But for the vast majority of Americans who leave their homes unattended everyday, what are the options?

Some might think it is a good idea to fight back against porch pirates in a direct and clever manner.

You may have see the viral video where a popular YouTuber (who happens to be an expert mechanical engineer) created a glitter-bomb package as bait for package thieves. He’d gotten tired of falling victim to package theft and decided to strike back. What he ended up with was an extremely expensive and intricately-designed fake package that was designed to douse the assailant with glitter and a terrible smelling spray, all while recording the event.

People all around the internet ate it up. Watching porch pirates get pranked was a cathartic experience of sorts. But this type of revenge is a bad idea for the average citizen. Even for the YouTuber, he put himself in some potentially dangerous situations trying to retrieve that package.

Pranking Porch Pirates – Not a Wise Choice

Check out what a news station in Texas had to say:

That’s right. They warn against this type of conduct. As tempting as it may be to “get even” with these people. But as the video says, prosecutors warn there could be serious ramifications to this type of plot. If you aren’t an expert engineer like the YouTuber and rig up something that fails and hurts the perpetrator, then you are in trouble.

Others have suggested boxing up trash or other unwanted items in Amazon boxes and waiting for them to be stolen. This may sound like the perfect revenge, but you should avoid this as well. Taking these types of actions makes you a target for revenge.

 Practical Tips for Protection Against Porch Pirates

• Our first bit of advice is something that all homeowners should heed; make friends with your neighbors. This is a very basic defense measure that anyone can take, but it can often be one of the most effective. If you are gone at work all day, or you are taking a vacation, it is always worth having a friendly (and trustworthy neighbor).
• Along with that, you’ll want to make sure you don’t have an overflowing mailbox or newspapers piling up in your driveway. These are clear signals that no one is home, or that no one has been home for a while. Porch pirates take stock of these things. Make sure that if you have neighbors looking out for you, they either collect your mail/newspapers or you put a temporary hold on those services while you are away.
• Be vigilant. As you go about your day and you come and go in your neighborhood, look for signs of suspicious activity. We are often so “on the go” that we don’t take note of important details. Most prominently missed are unusual cars or people that don’t belong in the area. It is a fact that most burglars or porch pirates case the area before stealing. Take note of these things and always be on the lookout.
• Timed lights actually work. You can go old-school here with basic timed lights. Or you can use smart lighting to control from your phone. Either way, having lights turn on and off at certain times can give the appearance of life within the home. This can be a deterrent for criminals.
• Use surveillance technology. Read on below for the solutions that can help the most with package thieves.

‘Tis the season for porch pirates. Watch below:

HD Monitoring vs. Porch Pirates

Security cameras are the best way to deter package theft. Video doorbells do a great job of capturing evidence, but they can sometimes go overlooked. If you want to really catch the perpetrator’s eye and ward them away, we suggest cameras that have a more obvious presence.

The recommendations:

Ultra HD 4K PIR Thermal Detection System

If you want the top-of-the-line viewing quality with the best detection standards, you have to start with this 4K camera system. Here’s how it’ll help:

• 4K crisp resolution to capture all the details of the porch pirates and their vehicle.
• Up to 100ft IR night vision for 24hr coverage.
• PIR thermal detection to eliminate false alarms and pick up human movement.

If you need to keep the budget a little tighter but still want great protection, plus flexible WiFi connectivity, go with:

HD 1080 WiFi Bullet Camera System

Here are the benefits:

• Extremely economical for HD 1080P viewing.
• 6x bullet cameras that can be strategically placed around your home and catch the eye of porch pirates.
• Easy wireless data transmission with your existing network.

One thing to note is that these WiFi cameras do require a plug-in power source. Meaning only their data transmission is wireless.

If you want a fully wireless option, go with:

ONE Link Wireless Battery Camera System

Here we have the most flexible of our camera systems. Check out the benefits for fighting against porch pirates:

• Completely wireless with rechargeable 5500 mAh batteries – can be placed above any door or in any discreet spot.
• PIR thermal detection similar to the 4K system.
• 2-way audio to ward away unwanted people if placed overlooking door.

That concludes our round-up on tips for fighting porch pirates. Check back for further safety and security updates!

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