‘Porch pirates have clear favorites’: Texas man designs ‘smart mailbox’ to protect packages from theft — what you need to know to keep your property safe from ‘a crime of opportunity’

How a smart mailbox works

Prince II’s anti-theft mailbox looks like a traditional brick mailbox with a slot, but it opens on the top allowing for larger packages to be dropped inside to the bottom. The owner has a key to open the back and retrieve packages from inside the mailbox.

Prince II explained why he believes his mailbox is a better option for packages. “You don’t really see a lot of people actually going in people’s mailboxes. You see them going on their porches,” he said.

It took eight years for Prince II to get a patent and he’s currently looking for investors to get his idea from a prototype in his garage to front yards across North Texas and beyond.

However, he wouldn’t be the only one peddling this type of product. A number of companies, including Hyve, Keter, Loxx Noxx and Yale, are now offering advanced delivery boxes for secure package delivery — and some even connect to Bluetooth or apps.

While this could be an ideal solution for homeowners, it won’t work for everyone, including those who live in apartments where packages are left in the lobby or in front of their hallway door.

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What we know about ‘porch pirates’

“Porch pirates have clear favorites when it comes to packages, with Amazon deliveries topping the list at 33% of reported thefts,” according to SafeWise. “We speculate that this could be due to people ordering more deliveries from Amazon, making those packages more ubiquitous overall.”

USPS packages account for another 18% of stolen items, followed by FedEx (17%) and UPS (16%). Grocery deliveries and meal kits like HelloFresh make up 7% and 4% of theft, respectively.

However, it also found that — across the country — one in four people don’t do anything to deter porch pirates “despite more than half of all Americans worrying that they’ll have a package stolen.” That changes, however, once they’ve had a package snatched, with more than eight in 10 victims adding a deterrent.

While this is an issue across the country, Security.org found that Kentucky, North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Alaska have the highest rates of recent package thefts. But it wasn’t necessarily correlated with high-crime areas.

“Package theft tends to be a crime of opportunity rather than a reflection of localized lawlessness. Where parcels are numerous, unguarded, or exposed, incidents of piracy are likely to be higher regardless of overall crime rates,” according to Security.org.

And that “underscores the need for parcel precautions” even in areas that are considered relatively safe.

How to protect yourself

Research specialist Dr. Ben Stickle told SafeWise that a home is more likely to be targeted if it has a porch less than 25 feet from the street and packages are visible from the road.

A common deterrent is a security camera or video doorbell, which can at least help to identify the culprit if a theft occurs — though it may not prevent theft from occurring in the first place (especially if the thief hides their face). However, cameras and doorbells are getting smarter and could include motion sensors, alarms and even two-way audio.

You can also track packages on an app so you know exactly when they’re being delivered. Or, you could request a signature upon delivery — an old-school, but effective, measure — which means the package can’t be left on your doorstep.

If packages are frequently delivered when you’re not home, telling delivery drivers to place them in a spot not visible from the street or having a smart mailbox could be an effective solution, or you could also consider using a secure pick-up location, offered by major retailers and even delivery services. These pick-up locations could include lockers or even local post offices.

When it comes to certain critical or expensive items, like prescription drugs or electronics, it may simply make more sense to pick them up in person rather than risk being the target of porch pirates.

You can also check if the retailer or shipper provides protection against theft (such as replacement or reimbursement) or if your credit card offers purchase protection.

Since apartment dwellers experience package theft at double the rate of those who live in homes, according to Security.org, it advises specifying “that packages should be left with door attendants or in protected mailrooms rather than entryways or sidewalks.”