Beware of porch pirates

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This article was published 19/12/2020 (1942 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

’Tis the season for “porch pirates.”

However, Manitobans are reportedly among the least likely to be victimized by the sticky-fingered holiday Grinches.

According to a survey of 1,182 Canadians by price-comparison website Finder.com, 20 per cent of Manitobans (about one in five) said they had parcels stolen from outside their homes — compared to the national average of 23 per cent.

“While nearly one in 10 Canadians have had a package worth more than $250 taken, the average value of stolen packages is $113. That’s approximately $784-million worth of products that have been ‘pirated’ from porches across Canada,” Finder.com stated.

The survey found holiday packages were least likely to be swiped in B.C. (18 per cent) and Nova Scotia (19 per cent). In contrast, the safest haven for porch pirates is Saskatchewan, where almost one-third (32 per cent) of residents report having parcels plundered from their doorsteps.

“This is the busiest online shopping season yet, and with a little over a week until Christmas, Manitobans are receiving record numbers of packages on their doorstep — putting them at increased risk of being targeted by porch pirates who are far more active this time of year,” Nicole McKnight, Finder.com public relations manager, warned in an email interview.

“Our report showed just three in 10 Manitobans plan to purchase package insurance or home security to protect against (such thefts),” McKnight said.

“However, if these measures are deemed too expensive, there are free strategies Manitobans can use to protect themselves — like recruiting the help of a neighbour who is home during the day to take their packages inside, or opting to shop at retailers who are offering curbside pick-up.”

The price-comparison site also found Manitobans are supposedly the least worried in the nation about being targeted by package thieves, with just three in 10 respondents admitting to being nervous, slightly lower than the national average.

“It’s no surprise many Canadians are a bundle of nerves when it comes to being targeted by the dreaded porch pirate. In fact, about one in three (34 per cent) Canadians said they were either worried (23 per cent) or very worried (11 per cent) about having their purchases pirated,” the survey found.

“Manitobans are the least likely to purchase package insurance, security or both — with 70 per cent saying they won’t purchase either.”

It found gender appears to play little role in determining who is victimized by porch pirates, with 20 per cent of women reporting having had a package swiped, compared with 24 per cent for men.

Age appears to be a bigger factor.

“Thirty-one per cent of millennials have had a package taken, with generation Z a close second at 28 per cent. It seems the over-40 set have been a little luckier, or maybe they just do far less online shopping. Only 16 per cent of those in gen X and just 12 per cent of baby boomers have experienced this modern-day phenomenon,” Finder.com said.

Generally speaking, the more you earn, the more likely you are to be a tempting target for the holiday hoodlums.

“Those with a personal income of $100,000 to $120,000 were the most likely to experience package theft at 31 per cent,” the survey said. “Finally, just 16 per cent of Canada’s lowest earners ($20,000 and under) have been the victim of a porch pirate.”

doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca