What do thieves do with stolen packages?

What do thieves do with stolen packages? Many thieves steal because they simply have the opportunity. They see a package out for a few days and figure it's an easy thing to swipe. They may keep your package, sell it in a pawnshop or Craigslist, or even re-gift the item.

What happens to people who steal packages?

By the Legislation & Police

A first offense is still a misdemeanor, a repeat offense can lead to felony charges and a five year prison sentence, and it makes it a five-year felony to steal mail if the offending party has intent to commit fraud.

What do porch pirates do with packages?

Porch pirates likely hope that small packages contain expensive items that can be resold, such as phones, video game systems, sound systems, or computers. Some people might simply have a compulsion towards theft that drives them to seek out the thrill of stealing.

Are package thieves ever caught?

Unfortunately, package thieves often get away with it. In an interview with IndyStar, Sean Stoops, a Police Chief from Indiana, reported that “typically the items that are successfully stolen from the porches do not get recovered.” Another source claims that less than 10% of porch piracy cases lead to police arrests.

Do companies do anything about stolen packages?

THE ANSWER. In general, no, shipping companies will not refund or replace stolen items.

What happens if your delivered packages are stolen?

Does USPS investigate mail theft?

The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) investigates: Mail Theft.

How common is package theft?

Package theft frequency and cost

More than 3 in 4 Americans have been a victim of package theft in their lifetime. 79% of Americans have been a victim of package theft in the last 12 months (15 points higher than last year!). Over half porch pirate victims have had multiple packages stolen in the past 12 months.

How many package thieves are caught?

California is the worst state for package theft. The average stolen package is worth approximately $136. Less than 10% of package thieves are arrested.

What happens if thieves steals package in mailbox?

Report suspected mail losses to Postal Inspectors by calling 877-876-2455 or at www.uspis.gov.

Do porch Pirates go to jail?

Dubbed the Porch Piracy Act, the bill made the crime a misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail, a $500 fine, or both. But anyone caught committing the act three times in a 60-day period can be charged with a felony, which can mean two to five years in prison plus a fine up to $5,000, or both.

What does Amazon do about stolen packages?

If a customer hasn't received their goods, they'll receive a refund for the cost by submitting an Amazon Stolen Package Claim. This guarantee also applies to damaged or inferior products received as well.

How do I keep my porch pirates from stealing my packages?

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.

Do porch pirates come back?

Porch piracy is a repeat offense.

Nearly 45% of theft victims have reported having packages stolen more than once, and approximately 1 in 10 have reported experiencing five or more package thefts.

What happens if you keep someone's package?

Intentionally opening, intercepting or hiding someone else's mail is the felony crime of mail theft. It comes with some heavyweight penalties, including five years' incarceration in a federal prison.”

What do most thieves steal?

“The most popular items that burglars are looking to steal are typically cash, jewelry, and electronics.

How much money is lost to package theft?

The annual amount lost to package theft is an estimated $19.5 billion, according to a report. There are some things you can do to protect against package theft, experts say.

What cities are porch pirates worst?

According to a 2022 SafeWise survey, the top three metro cities where porch pirates strike are: San Francisco; Seattle, Washington and Austin, Texas.

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.

What do you call people who steal packages?

Reports of porch pirates, or thieves who steal packages left outside people's homes, spike during the holiday season as the volume of deliveries grow. Over the past 12 months, 260 million packages worth $19.5 billion were stolen by porch pirates, according to data from SafeWise, a home safety research company.

How often do Amazon packages get stolen?

For Amazon lost packages, an average of 51 packages a year got reported missing or stolen.

What do mail thieves look for?

Mail theft is a crime of opportunity. Thieves are looking for anything of value – such as Economic Impact (stimulus) payments or other checks, EDD/unemployment documents, bank and credit card information. Your personal information is also valuable and can be used to commit identity theft and fraud crimes.

Are mail packages Xrayed?

Is Mail X-Rayed? Some of the mail that is sent through the United States Postal Service will pass through an X-Ray machine. There are no specific guidelines as to what may or may not be x-rayed, though mail sent to or through larger cities is likely to pass through an X-Ray machine.

What do criminals do with stolen mail?

Your mail can be a valuable target for identity thieves. What is mail theft? Mail theft is a felony that occurs when someone steals, takes, or abstracts your mail. Mail thieves can mine your mail for cash and checks, and also to obtain personal information that can be used to commit identity theft.