Social Trends: What People are Posting about Package Theft

Social Trends: What People are Posting about Package Theft

There are all sorts of compelling stats about package theft that reveal the problems it presents for consumers in package and food delivery. 

But beyond these quantitative snapshots, looking closer at the various posts on Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube provides some interesting substance and flavor to the problem, as well.

Here, we break down what people posting about porch piracy into 5 key categories:

1. Commiserate with the Community

Everyone wants to feel heard and they want to feel like they are a part of something. A lot of the sharing online connected to porch piracy has to do with these two parts of human nature. 

Take a look at these.

@IHoldVechain took an “Oh Well” approach, letting the package thief know that they got a lot of diaper caddy liners and he hopes they enjoy them.

 

 

Some of these posts are just incredulous--like this one on Reddit by @Memesshouldbebanned about having a package stolen while inside making breakfast.

 

I got my package stolen while I was making breakfast on the other side of the door from packagethieves

 

Sad. Angry. Holding out a little hope for the best of humanity. This picture posted on Reddit probably encompasses more about what the rest of us feel when we lose a package.

 

Package stealing has become such a problem in my apartment that it has come to a point where people don't care what they steal. This is a note from someone that had their package stolen just a couple hours earlier. from trashy

2. Taking Revenge

After someone has been a victim of package theft and lets out their frustration, some people let it go … and some do not. Feeling violated, the latter folks turn to getting back at those that wronged them. In this world, discussions revolve around the best way to retaliate.

People with pets can find a solution in this video that uses the contents of a cat’s litter box to give porch pirates a yucky surprise:

 

Got sick of my packages being stolen, so I got creative. Happy Holidays! from videos

 

Another gross tactic is the old rotten milk trap:

Watch on Facebook

Putting a smoke bomb in a bait package also is a cool mov--especially when you see it go off while the perp is trying to drive away right before he tosses it out the window:

Watch on Facebook

One of the best revenge videos is this one that captures a Glitter Bomb that goes off in the car after the criminals think they’ve gotten away with their stolen property:

Watch on Facebook

3. Spread the Word

A great way to use the reach and immediacy of social media is to get the word out about recent thefts and to display images of those criminals caught in the act.

Some of the posts come from the victims, like Tracy on Twitter:

 

 

Or Cindy in Durham:

 

 

These posts can be meant to get a specific, much-needed package back, like this one by the local news that called attention to a porch pirate who stole chemo medicine intended for a 14-year-old cancer patient:

 

 

Or another news outlet posting a video of a man who stole groceries from an elderly couples stoop:

 

 

Other posts come from an official police account, like the Ontario Police:

 

 

Or the Brea Police Department, which put out this alert with a description of the thief’s attire and vehicle:

 

 

While news about thieves who have already struck can be useful, there’s also a lot of postings online that are trying to stop the crimes from happening in the first place.

For instance, the Seattle Division HQ of US Postal Inspection Service posted this informational video about package theft:

 

 

And the Lansdale Police Department just outside of Philadelphia made locals aware that they would receive packages during the holiday season to keep them safe from box bandits:

 

4. Caught on Tape

While the revenge tactic can give victims a little bit of satisfaction, the bad guys or gals are usually long gone before they realize all they got was a box full of “surprise”. 

That’s why the most satisfying content online is the information about porch pirates actually getting caught, like this post from the Williamsburg Shomrim safety patrol. They caught a perp stealing package in the middle of the night in Brooklyn, NY:

 

 

This box bandit was caught in seconds by Edmonton police that were in the neighborhood:

 

 

This bad-driving bandit caught himself, when he drove the getaway car into snowbank and got snuck:

 

 

One of the more interesting captures occurred when Kennevo, a Twitch streamer, used his robots to help police catch a porch pirate:

 


You can see the live stream on his YouTube channel.

5. Don’t Forget to Smile

Porch piracy is a really disappointing and maddening crime, but sometimes you just can’t help but laugh about it. 

For instance, this video of a bear stealing a box of chocolates is sure to put a smile on your face. 

 

 

That video comes from La Verne, California, which backs up to a large National Forest. That bear didn’t have any problem getting away with its package, but it looks like this little possum might have bit of a little more than it could chew when it tried to do the same thing: 

An even smaller box bandit, this squirrel is a repeat offender, stashing its booting in nearby bushes.

Wach Video

 

Don’t worry, we have just the animal to combat these furry fiends. Meet Zero the Hero, a dog that stopped a porch pirate in Ogden, Utah. 

 

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