Can you go to jail for stealing Amazon packages?

Is stealing an Amazon package a federal crime? In the U.S. it is a federal crime to tamper with the mail. Stealing a porch package is considered mail theft and believe it or not, you can face either federal or state charges. If you are charged with a federal crime, you could face up to five years in jail.

How common is Amazon package theft?

Nearly 1 in 4 (23 percent) of our respondents say that they've had a package stolen in the three months leading up to March 2022, beating the previous peak in December 2020.

Should you call the police if your Amazon package was stolen?

Alert the police

If you suspect a porch pirate is responsible for your missing package, contact the police to file a report. While local law enforcement can't do much to ensnare package thieves right away, they can check neighborhood security cameras (or video doorbells!) for evidence.

What happens if you get caught stealing packages?

Theft of U.S. Mail can qualify as a federal offense. This can result in a federal prison sentence of up to 5 years and a fine up to $250,000.00.

What to do if someone steals your Amazon package?

Contact the seller.

So, if you have determined that a theft actually took place, contact the seller to ask about either a replacement or a refund. The results of this option will vary from seller to seller. Note that sellers are not required to replace a stolen package, but some may choose to do so in certain cases.

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Is stealing Amazon packages a felony?

Most people know that mail theft is a federal crime. In fact, it's a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison. This applies whether a letter or package is sent via UPS, USPS or FedEx.

Do Amazon packages get stolen a lot?

As of 2021, 23 million Americans have had their packages stolen from their homes. For Amazon lost packages, an average of 51 packages a year got reported missing or stolen.

Do they investigate missing packages?

Occasionally the carrier can do an internal investigation to determine the shipment is lost. The majority of times, though, a more detailed investigation follows. If showing delivered and the customer did not receive the package, a phone call is placed to the customer and the delivery driver.

Is it common for people to steal packages?

According to a study commissioned by ValuePenguin, package theft has affected more than 40% of American at some point. In the past 12 months, more than 5 in 10 shoppers reported having more than one package stolen, for an average loss of $106 per household.

What kind of person steals a package?

The term porch pirate is used to refer to people who steal packages from other people's homes.

Can Amazon report you to the police?

Amazon reserves the right to respond immediately to urgent law enforcement requests for information in cases involving a threat to public safety or risk of harm to any person. These requests must be submitted through the Amazon Law Enforcement Request Tracker (“ALERT”) by selecting the emergency request button.

Can Amazon investigate missing packages?

In most cases, the seller will investigate the missing package or send a new item. But if the seller doesn't respond within 24 hours, you can file a claim with Amazon.

Is it illegal to keep a package accidentally delivered to you?

You have the legal right to keep it as a free gift, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Sellers aren't permitted to ask for payment for unordered items, either, and the FTC says consumers are under no obligation to even tell the seller about the wrongly delivered merchandise.

How many Amazon packages are stolen every day?

Package theft is at an all-time high, with 1.7 million packages stolen or lost every day in the U.S., according to researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Who pays for package theft?

Burden is Primarily the Buyer

Take as a whole, the Buyer is largely put in the position to resolve the issue by reaching out to the Seller or making a claim with the Delivery Company. The Buyer is also responsible for reporting the crime to the local police.

How many packages were stolen in 2022?

A 2022 survey from SafeWise shows $19.5 billion worth of packages were stolen from Americans in the last 12 months alone. The cause of this increase in theft? Research showed, since the pandemic, there has been a large increase in online shopping and deliveries.

Do stolen packages get replaced?

If your USPS lost package was insured, you should be able to get a refund directly from USPS. If your USPS package was stolen, you should be able to go through the seller to receive a replacement or refund.

How many packages go missing every day?

Every day 1.7 million packages are stolen or lost in the US, costing businesses $25 million daily. Despite some retailers and package delivery companies making an effort to stop porch piracy, much of this burden is still put on the consumer. So with this is mind, here are some ways you can prevent package theft.

How long does a lost package investigation take?

Depending on the country, the process to investigate a damaged or lost package generally takes 8 to 15 business day.

What happens to missing Amazon packages?

Amazon Prime members receive very fast shipping, and if the package does not arrive, the company has a no-questions-asked policy and will provide a refund after 36 hours. If packages are late, Amazon will credit your account for the inconvenience. Go here to report a package missing from Amazon.

Can a package be traced?

Can you track a USPS package by address? A USPS package has to be tracked using the tracking number, not the address to which it was sent. However, with the Informed Delivery service added to your USPS account, you can track packages you send as well as those sent to your address.

Who pays for lost Amazon packages?

The short answer is: The seller, which means you, the business owner. Obviously, if you printed the wrong address on the shipping label, didn't include a return address, or poorly packaged the item, it's 100% on you to compensate the customer with a new shipment or a refund.

How does Amazon prevent people from saying their package was stolen when it really wasn t?

Amazon deliveries actually use a technology called geo fencing in which the GPS system has a “fence” around the delivery address and this actually will prevent a driver from scanning a package as delivered if they are not within that fence.

Can Amazon send you to jail?

Sellers may feel that Amazon returns policy requirements favor buyers to the extreme, but committing returns fraud through Amazon could land you in jail.