5 Reasons People Find Porch Piracy Especially Irritating

It goes without saying that law-abiding citizens have a general distaste for crime. Yet some types of crime are especially irritating. One such crime is porch piracy. It is bad enough when someone steals from you. It is especially irritating when the criminal goes right up on your porch, in broad daylight, and steals packages.

Needless to say,porch piracy has grown alongside e-commerce. Home security providers like Vivint Smart Home point to porch piracy as sufficient reason to install a video doorbell – or even a complete home security system. The problem is not going to go away, so it is up to each of us to take the steps necessary to protect our deliveries.

Prevention notwithstanding, here are five reasons people find porch piracy especially irritating:

1. It is Brazen

If there is one thing Americans don’t like, it’s brazen criminals who do what they do despite knowing that their chances of getting caught are pretty high. Porch pirates fit the bill. They wander around in broad daylight, stealing packages without knowing whether someone is looking out the window.

Some of them are brazen enough to follow delivery trucks around town, stealing packages as quickly as they are delivered. Such brazenness doesn’t fly in most other parts of civilized society. So it irritates people when criminals exhibit it.

2. It is Callous

Porch pirates do not know what they are stealing when they grab a package. They grab first, then ask questions later. Law-abiding citizens are irritated by this because it shows a callousness. It shows a complete disregard for the victim. For all the thief knows, they could be stealing life-saving medicine from someone who’s depending on it. But they don’t care. Medicine with no street value just goes into the trash can.

3. It is a Violation of Personal Space

Porch piracy is especially irritating because, like burglary, it represents a violation of personal space. A person’s home is supposed to be a place of safety and refuge. There is an expectation that civilized society respects a property owner’s boundaries. Porch pirates show no regard for those boundaries. They violate the victim’s personal space in order to steal the victim’s possessions.

4. It is a Slap in the Face

Unfortunately, porch pirates have become more sophisticated in the way they operate. They are also starting to demonstrate pleasure at taking advantage of victims despite the prevalence of video cameras, doorbell cameras, and other security strategies. In some cases, porch pirates go out of the way to taunt victims by smiling and laughing at their cameras. Video cameras have even been torn right off the wall.

5. It is Costly

Last but not least, porch piracy is irritating because it is costly. Burglary can be costly too, but at least burglars take the time to pick and choose what they are going to steal. Porch pirates steal indiscriminately. If they get a package that doesn’t interest them, they simply discard it. Meanwhile, the victim has to replace what was stolen.

To their credit, online retailers are usually good about working with porch piracy victims. But there are never any guarantees that stolen merchandise will be replaced. Consumers who make no attempt to stop porch piracy may not have a strong case for requesting a refund or replacement.

Porch piracy is here to stay. The best way to prevent it is to not have packages delivered to locations that are open to theft. There are plenty of alternatives, including delivery lockers and neighbors’ and friends’ houses. It isalright to get irritated by porch piracy, but preventing it requires action.

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