FAIRBORN — Thieves know porch stealing is big business. A study done by Security.org predicted that criminals will grab more than $8 billion of stuff this year, and expect a jump in crimes this week with all of the online deals going on.
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“We see a huge jump in the amount of package thefts that week preceding those sales,” Gene Petrino, Lead Security Advisor for Security.org, said.
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The group found a 40 percent jump in package thefts after Prime Day sales.
Petrino told News Center 7 that it’s a crime of opportunity.
“Crime prevention efforts are really designed to make it more difficult for the crime to happen, and if you can remove the option, that’s the best way to do,” he said.
He advises taking advantage of secure drop-off locations, like Amazon lockers or somewhere you know someone will be.
“The one thing that people don’t often think about is if it’s acceptable, have your packages delivered to your work,” Petrino added. “Usually, there’s someone there that’s going to sign for it or collect it.”
If your package does end up missing, be sure to report it to law enforcement.
“Our research shows that only one in four people actually report this to law enforcement, and I think that’s a huge mistake,” he said.
Even if it’s a cheap item, Petrino said it’s important to make the report.
“Law enforcement will always dedicate their resources to areas that are problematic, and if it’s going underreported, they’re going to see that as not such a big deal,” he said.
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