How To Stop Holiday Package Thefts In New York City

NEW YORK CITY — Once again, a growing number of shoppers in New York City 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 New York 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.

New York City Police encourage local residents to follow the following guidance to avoid having packages stolen off their stoops or from outside their residence:

• Always track your shipment online
• Choose a shipping option that requires a signature for delivery
• Schedule packages to arrive when you are going to be home or have packages shipped to locations where a friend, relative, neighbor or landlord can accept them on your behalf
• Have packages shipped to your place of employment
• Request the delivery service hold your package for pick-up at their facility.
• Utilize deliveries to retailer provided lockers or carrier provided alternate drop points where you can go to pick up your item.
• Utilize free services that track packages, redirect packages to convenient locations for pick-up, and request vacation holds.
• Some shipping companies utilize tracking services which can include features such as shipping status notifications and delivery scheduling. Check to see if these services are available in your area.

NYPD also suggests having the following safety devices installed if possible:

• Wi-Fi enabled cameras that provide alerts
• Motion-sensor lighting
• Package lock-boxes

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.

A NYPD spokesman said that the department does not have specific data available for the theft of packages or other deliveries.

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.