New times, new crimes
Amazon is exploring ways to deliver goods by using intelligent locks to allow couriers into homes, as well as leaving items in the trunks of vehicles. Last month Walmart announced it was working with the smart lock manufacturer August on a similar project.
The reason for this fixation to improve delivery is to combat the growth of the so-called porch pirating. As more people buy goods online, more goods are being left for customers to collect on their porches, and thieves are making off with them. Some figures estimate that about eleven million customers, or 31% of purchasers, have been robbed in this way, which is beginning to produce significant economic losses, raising concern in the run up to Christmas.
In response, in addition to exploring ways to leave deliveries inside homes or in a vehicle using remote entry systems, while some police forces have been leaving alluring packages as bait and then waiting for thieves to show up. At the same time, experiments are underway with padlocked bags, along with larger mailboxes big enough to hold packages, as well as solutions like taking a photograph to prove goods have been delivered, installing highly visible cameras, while some people are even prepared to undertake elaborate revenge schemes.
Students of evolution will not be surprised by this development: the creation of new ecosystems always leads to the emergence of new niches that can be exploited by new species. In this case, the increase in the number of deliveries of parcels left unattended in a porch has evolved from what was once a relatively crime, such as stealing a newspaper or a bottle of milk to something much more serious, prompting a reaction by the affected parties involved.
You know that ecommerce has taken off when you see thieves adapt to try to take advantage of it, along with new terms such as porch pirates. And in response, logistics companies and consumers are now coming up with their own sophisticated, and not so sophisticated, ways to deal with emerging criminal behavior linked to changing habits in society.
(En español, aquí)
