Overview
- Industry reporting says about 15% of Americans experienced package theft in the past year, with losses estimated at more than $8.2 billion.
- A SafeWise analysis cited by the Chicago Tribune ranks the Chicago metro as the top U.S. area for parcel theft by financial impact, estimating roughly $254 million in losses this year.
- Security experts describe most incidents as quick, opportunistic grabs of unattended deliveries, with some thieves trailing trucks or cruising neighborhoods.
- Consumer guidance stresses real-time tracking, delivery alerts, secure drop spots, workplace or staffed pickup, lockers such as Amazon Hub, signatures, or trusted neighbors.
- Law enforcement and prosecutors point to proliferating doorbell videos and other technology as valuable evidence, even as fewer than one in four victims file police reports and reimbursement is not guaranteed.