With millions of people ordering more stuff online than ever, because of COVID-19 — and with the holidays fast approaching — Americans are dreading more than ever that most modern of malefactors: the porch pirate, thieves who steal your packages right off of your doorstep.
According to a new survey, 64% of Americans worry their precious packages will be preyed upon, and 47% have already had everything from holiday gifts to life-saving medicine snatched from their steps.
The poll of 2,000 people, commissioned by home security company SimpliSafe, revealed that 75% say such theft is the worst part of the holiday season, with the average victim losing up an estimated $175.05, thanks to pirates’ sticky fingers.
In fact, it’s such a common crime that 32% of those polled say they take the possibility their package will be stolen into account when it comes to ordering gifts online, with 72% saying they watch their delivery update notifications like hawks.
Also because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 52% say they’re ordering more expensive gifts than ever online, making the threat of theft even more urgent.
Nearly half of those polled say they have a security system installed in their homes, with 13% said they did so specifically because of porch pirates.