The (porch) Grinch Who Stole Christmas: As delivery thefts soar, consumers are using doorbell cameras to fight back – with police planting ‘bait packages’ to track crooks. So do YOU live in a parcel snatcher hotspot?

• Spike in porch pirate crime this holiday has led consumers to take matters into their own hands – sharing doorbell cam footage to catch the thieves
• Police are clamping down by using ‘bait’ packages to track crooks
• Footage compiled by DailyMail.com shows how brazen the thieves have become 
• Interactive map created by Security.org reveals the worst-affected states
• In past year 260 million packages were swiped, worth $2.4 billion

Christmas is around the corner – and porch pirates seeking to cash in on the holiday shopping boom are out in force. 

The rise in so-called ‘porch pirate’ crime – when crooks steal parcels left on doorsteps – has triggered a spike in vigilantes sharing doorbell camera footage of the brazen thefts in a bid to catch the culprits. 

As a string of recent cases compiled by DailyMail.com below reveals, many strike in broad daylight and often make no attempt to hide their identities. 

Police departments are so concerned many are deploying creative techniques to deter the thieves – with some planting decoy packages fitted with GPS trackers to hunt them down. 

The latest data reveals a staggering four in five Americans may have fallen prey to porch pirates – with at least 49 million victims in the last year alone. A total of 260 million parcels were swiped worth around $2.4 billion. New York-based company Security.org has created an interactive map below to show where Americans are most – and least – likely to fall victim. 

STATES WITH HIGHEST PACKAGE THEFT RATES

Alaska – 29%

Delaware – 27%

Nevada – 27%

New York – 27%

Rhode Island – 25%

Hawaii – 25%

West Virginia – 25%

* Percentage of residents who’ve had a package stolen in the past 12 months 

…AND THE STATES WITH THE LOWEST

Maine – 29%

Wisconsin – 13%

Alabama – 14%

Georgia – 14%

South Carolina – 14%

New Mexico – 14%

South Dakota – 14%

* Percentage of residents who’ve had a package stolen in the past 12 months

A culprit in Lakewood, Colorado, has been dubbed the ‘plaid panty porch pirate’ by her victim after a doorbell cam captured her patterned underwear – and back tattoo – as she knelt down to scoop up some packages on December 9.

The woman attempts to conceal her intentions by posing as a delivery driver while approaching the home.

She carried empty boxes to the porch and rang the doorbell, likely to check if somebody was home.

Her getaway driver waits nearby as the thief switches the empty parcels with the victim’s. In the process, she bends down to reveal her unusual underwear. Internet sleuths analyzed the footage and deciphered her back tattoo, which appears to read ‘Diaz’.

The victim, who remained anonymous, said: ‘The ‘plaid panty porch pirate’ is what my friend named her.’ 

This crook in Colorado has been dubbed the ‘plaid panty porch pirate’. She poses as a delivery driver while approaching the home, first scoping it out, then returning with an empty package

As she kneels down to swipe a parcel, she reveals her plaid-patterned underwear – and a tattoo which some have suggested reads ‘Diaz’

With her underwear still very much on show, the woman returns to a waiting truck carrying a stolen Amazon parcel

Heavy snowfall didn’t deter porch pirates in Utah

Heavy snowfall didn’t stop the porch pirates in Sandy, Utah – where seven people were arrested across one week this December over a series of thefts.

Sgt. Greg Moffitt with the Sandy Police Department told Fox13: ‘We’ve actually stepped up our enforcement and our patrols in our neighborhoods. Specifically with the idea to try and combat these porch pirate and thefts.’

One victim, Monica, said more than $100 of makeup was snatched when thieves struck at her home in the Spanish Fork area after heavy snowfall.

‘We decided to check our doorbell camera and realized that we had some thieves come right up to our porch and steal our items right off our porch.

‘Not in the amount of time that we’ve lived in this home have we ever had anything like this occur. It just really made us feel violated and upset.’

Heavy snow didn’t deter this crook in Utah, who left his car parked on the street while he ran up to his victim’s home, stole their deliveries and made off at speed. The victim said more than $100 of makeup was snatched when thieves struck at her home in the Spanish Fork area

Colorado crook stumbles under weight of stolen items

In Colorado, Senator Larry Liston said: ‘We do need to clamp down on it. It’s only gotten worse in the last two years.’

He has sponsored two unsuccessful bills aimed at tackling the issue, including one to toughen the punishments and another to help pay for lockboxes for residents.

Liston spoke after footage emerged of a woman stealing packages with items worth hundreds of dollars. 

Doorbell cam footage captured the moment the thief’s legs almost buckled under the weight of the items as she swiped them from the home of Duncan MacIvor on December 6 – just 30 minutes after they were delivered.

MacIvor told News5: ‘I just assumed it was another delivery, so a couple seconds in, when you figure out what’s going on, I don’t know what I thought. It was galling, it was shocking.’

This thief in Colorado scoops up an armful of parcels from the victim’s porch – and nearly falls under the weight of her loot, forcing her to lean against a wall to steady herself

Las Vegas bandits swipe armfuls of parcels from victim

In one shocking case in North Las Vegas, a pair of crooks swipe a whole stack of boxes from a woman’s porch. One of the thieves scoops up four large parcels that are stacked so high that they can barely see as they make their escape.

The accomplice grabs two others before they make their getaway in a red car waiting at the foot of the driveway.

Homeowner Israel Simmons, whose doorbell cam captured the theft, told KTNV the duo struck her gated community ‘in the middle of the night’ on December 7.

‘I work hard for all of my family Christmas presents, but I don’t have time to go to the store,’ said Simmons, who owns a clothing boutique.

Las Vegas police officer Alexander Quavos said: ‘We have so many people using delivery services to get their goods for either the holidays or common household items, this crime is a crime of opportunity.’

He urged online shoppers to ‘know when your package is being delivered’ so it can be collected before opportunists can strike.

In one case in North Las Vegas, a pair of crooks swipe a whole stack of boxes from a woman’s porch. The parcels are stacked so high that they can barely see as they make their escape

Porch pirate steals kid’s Christmas gifts in Indianapolis 

In Indianapolis on December 9, resident Sherri Phelps was aghast when her doorbell camera captured a brazen thief pull onto her driveway, hop out of their Ford SUV and steal a parcel from her porch.

The female grabs the box – which contained a Christmas gift for Phelps’s niece – then runs back to the car, before the driver makes off at speed.

Phelps told WRTV: ‘I was in total shock and really ticked off to say the least.’

That thief is suspected of stealing other parcels in the neighborhood on the same day.

Sergeant Genae Cook, from Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, said: ‘If you can, try and have the package delivered to your house at a certain time.’

This thief, who was driven up to the victim’s home by an accomplice, wastes no time jumping out of the SUV, sprinting towards the porch and making off with a child’s Christmas presents

The thief was seen on doorbell cam taking an Amazon box full of Christmas gifts for the victim’s niece

California thief makes off with doggy pajamas

In Rialto, California, a male dressed casually in a baseball cap, jeans and sneakers takes just seconds to stride up to his victim’s porch, grab a stack of packages and sprint back to his car on November 29.

But that porch pirates was probably disappointed when he opened one of the boxes to find pajamas Al Diaz purchased for himself – and his dog.

Diaz told KABC: ‘It is the holidays, you know. These are our gifts for our loved ones, for close friends…. Even I, to some extent, am frustrated by this.

‘My dad had ordered three watches from Movado… and another one of the packages that was stolen was just pajamas for me and my dogs.’

This porch pirate kept it casual as he parked outside the victim’s home and strolled up to the packages

He kneels down to collect the parcels, then makes a run for it. The crook may have been disappointed to discover one package contained doggy pajamas

Police in Ohio deploy ‘bait packages’ in crackdown

Police in Parma, Ohio, have even launched a special campaign to crack down on the trend this holiday. It’s called STOP: Stop Theft Of Packages.

Parma Sgt. David D’Eusanio revealed his team are placing GPS trackers in decoy packages, then leaving them outside the homes of local volunteers.

D’Eusania said: ‘We’re setting popular items out there, you know, popular companies Walmart, Amazon boxes, so yes, we want them to come to us.

‘The gifts they’re purchasing are of higher value too, normally around the holidays, you know what I mean, people are purchasing gifts for family members, it’s not just their normal Amazon run that they get each month’

Parma city law director Tim Dobeck: ‘If a thief is silly enough to steal a package in Parma, and it’s a bait package, we’re gonna find it and we’re gonna prosecute them.’

79% of Americans have fallen victim to porch pirates: Here’s how to protect YOUR parcels 

About 49 million Americans fell victim to porch pirates in the last year alone, according to Security.org.

An estimated four out of five have had a package stolen at some point in their lives, a separate study by Safewise found. 

ADT, the alarm company, has the following tips to protect your parcels:

:: Get a ‘porch pirate bag’

These are placed outside your home and allow delivery drivers to store packages inside before securing the bag with a lock.

 :: Use a package-receiving service 

Some companies offer lockers that you can rent to take deliveries. This ensures your packages stay safe until you collect them.

:: Require a signature

This simple solution, available when ordering through many popular online stores, means only a person at home can take delivery. But you may need to arrange collection or redelivery if nobody is at home to sign.

:: Ask a neighbor to take delivery

Another option is to instruct a delivery driver to either drop a package with a neighbor, or ask a neighbor who’s home to pick up your parcel for safekeeping once it’s delivered. 

Source: Read Full Article