Australians are being warned to think twice before posting Christmas gifts this year as parcels are already targeted by “porch pirates” during the holiday season.
One in 100 packages are ending up damaged, lost or stolen as online shopping ramps up and doorsteps fill with deliveries across the country.
Jonathan Bass, Strategic Director of Freight Insure, says Sydney and Melbourne are the worst-affected areas for so-called “porch pirates” who target unattended deliveries.
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WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: The porch pirates targeting Christmas presents.
“There is a huge volume of freight that moves through the networks this time of year, 110 million parcels will move through the network,” Bass said.
“Unfortunately, there’s opportunistic and organised crime out there.
“So a parcel lying on a doorstep with an Amazon box or similar becomes very, very attractive pickings for an opportunistic criminal this time of year.”
For Queensland mother Ashlea Burbage, the porch pirates have already struck – for a second time.
“I was just out in the city yesterday doing a bit of shopping and I got some ring (doorbell) notifications,” she told 7NEWS.
The first notification was Australia Post dropping her presents but the second was a thief helping himself.
“He just grabbed it and put it in his car,” she said.
“(They were) presents from my sister in Melbourne for the kids for Christmas so, yeah, she’s really disappointed.”
Burbage’s quick-thinking partner grabbed the licence plate of the car and gave it to the police but unfortunately were fake.
It’s the second time Burbage’s family has been targeted by parcel thieves with porch piracy booming since the arrival of online delivery services, with criminals staking out suburbs and cities to steal packages.
Bass recommends three key steps to protect Christmas presents. First, align yourself with a transport provider that has a great reputation by checking Google reviews.
“The easy start is to go into Google, go to Google reviews and find a courier that has a great reputation, both with consumers and small businesses, of getting goods from A to B safely,” he said.
Surprisingly, the vast majority of claims are actually for damage rather than theft, with 80 per cent of goods damaged in transit.
Bass advises using a good, sturdy box when sending items.
Most importantly, he says insurance is essential.
“If you can’t afford to lose it, you can’t afford not to insure it. Go online, buy insurance, it takes 30 seconds to do so, and your goods are covered against lost theft and damage,” he said.
For those hoping to send gifts with just two days until Christmas, Bass has a simple message: “If you plan on getting there for Christmas, I think you’re braver than I am. Go to the shops, buy it there.”
