SPOKANE, Wash. — A new survey shows four in 10 people have fallen victim to porch pirates.
This is according to a research from Security.org. They said this is due to the increase in online shopping.
According to the survey, 38 percent of people who responded said they believe they’ve had packages stolen from their homes after packages were delivered.
Security.org said this is higher than other surveys and studies that have been conducted, though the other studies are a few years old. A survey from Shorr Packaging Corp. found 31 percent of people experienced package theft.
Federal data does not distinguish package thefts from other types of larceny, so it’s not clear exactly how many package thefts take place every year in the U.S. According to the FBI’s 2017 crime report, more than 5.5 million larceny thefts were reported across the country.
Washington is the sixth highest state in the country with larceny thefts per 100,000 people. According to FBI data, there are 2,194.4 thefts per 100,000 people. Idaho ranks 47th with 1,181.1 per 100,000 people.
Since the FBI's data doesn't split thefts from buildings from all larcenies, security.org said they can reasonably infer that places where larceny is more common, package theft is more common.
The Spokane and Spokane Valley area is ranked fifth for the highest number of thefts per capita. The area sees 3,286 thefts per 100,000 people.
According to the survey, most people are installing security cameras as a way to prevent package theft.
Security.org surveyed 1,011 people in mid 2019 on their habits surrounding package delivery. Only those who have packages delivered to their homes were asked to participate.
