How To Stop Holiday Package Thefts In Skokie

SKOKIE, IL — Once again, a growing number of shoppers in Skokie will turn to computers and smartphones to check gifts off their shopping lists this holiday season.

Experts project holiday e-commerce sales in the United States will reach a record $207 billion between November and December, a 10 percent increase over 2020 sales, according to data from Adobe Analytics.

Yet as online sales increase, consumers in Skokie, Lincolnwood and across the country are almost sure to see an uptick in packages disappearing from front porches.

Nationwide, as online shopping spiked during the pandemic, the number of U.S. consumers who reported having a package stolen rose from 36 percent in 2019 to 43 percent in 2020, according to a report by Chicago-based C+R Research. Among 2020’s victims, nearly two-thirds said they had been a victim of package theft more than once.

According to C+R’s report, on average, the value of a stolen package in 2020 was $136; however, 81 percent say they received a refund on the stolen items.

Still, as package thieves — or “porch pirates” — become more clever, consumers need to be one step ahead when it comes to preventing package theft.

About 35.5 million Americans say they’ve been the victim of package theft in the past 12 months, according to the most recent data by Finder.com. As a result, consumers lost about $5.4 billion in merchandise.

Skokie police spokesperson Officer Eric Swaback told Patch that his department has seen a recent increase in porch piracy in the village.

"Because of the rise in popularity of e-commerce, more porch package thefts have occurred compared to years past," Swaback said.

Who Steals A Package?

Finder’s study revealed that men are more likely to be both package thieves and victims of the crime. About 5 percent of men admitted stealing a package compared with 0.85 percent of women.

Meanwhile, 17 percent of men had a package stolen in the past year, compared with 11 percent of women.

Swaback said the pandemic has not changed the department's handling of the problem, which he said includes community outreach and public awareness.

"The approach has been consistent with the past, educating the community and encouraging residents to report any suspicious activity by dialing 9-1-1," he said.

Prevention Tips

To prevent porch piracy, Skokie police offered the following recommendations:

• Have packages delivered to a location where they can be received in person, such as a neighbor’s or relative’s house.
• If permissible, consider having a package delivered to a workplace.
• If the online retailer provides the option, choose a specific delivery time when the resident will be home.
• Consider having the package delivered to a local store for pick-up.
• Take advantage of delivery alerts so you can be notified when a package arrives. Remove packages from the porch in a timely manner.
• Use a self-service parcel delivery service, retrieving your package from a nearby locker location when convenient for the resident.
• Ask the shipper to require a signature confirmation of delivery in order to prevent packages being left when no one is home to sign for them.
• Provide delivery instructions so packages can be left out of sight from the yard or the road, such as on a back porch.
• Have a neighbor or house sitter check for packages on a daily basis.
• As always, report suspicious behavior or persons by calling 9-1-1 without delay.