Newer technologies mean newer ways to commit crimes.
Online shopping might be one of the greatest luxuries of the 21st century. Back in the day, we could only imagine a world where anything you desired could be delivered to your doorstep. No more lines, no more heavy lifting, and no more driving to the store.
But this convenience gave birth to a new form of crime.
As packages lay defenseless in front of your door, they attract certain individuals who take advantage of oneโs misplaced confidence.
Theyโll follow the delivery truck, then swoop in to grab your package as soon as itโs dropped off. The box sometimes doesnโt even get the chance to heat the floor before itโs gone with the wind.
Getting tired of this blatant display of thievery, one man said enough is enough.
A man from Oklahoma City decided to stand up against this injustice by bringing a new kind of โvigilantismโ. While porch pirates have made a hobby out of stealing, this guy made scamming these crooks his favorite pastime.
John Karlinโs fight is personal.
His call to action stemmed from the fact that these heartless pirates indiscriminately steal from anyone. Since the packages are wrapped, they canโt tell for sure whatโs inside. These criminals are willing to take a chance with these packages, not caring if itโs something important to the victim. For Karlin, he wants to stop them from stealing his heart medication.
What he does is leave packages out on purpose.
He uses any container then fills them with nasty things. Then, porch pirates steal the โpackageโ thinking that something valuable is inside. That is if they find value in dirty laundry filled with water, poop from different animals, and dead squirrels.
His pirate-trapping turned into some kind of sport.
Some of his traps not only contain worthless disgusting stuff. Sometimes, he puts in cameras or GPS trackers so he can pinpoint where and who these criminals are.
โA bag of old, dirty laundry filled with water, duck poop, and some M&Ms. Thatโs my hobby,โ Karlin said to KOCO. โIt has turned into a sport, like a cat-and-mouse game.โ
โI hope these people learn their lesson.โ
So far, his traps have proven effective.
Unsuspecting pirates took the packages with them which led to their hiding spots. Karlin has helped convict dozens of thieves he caught on camera. His devices helped police identify the culprit and made them pay for the crimes they did.
โIf I get a conviction, I keep that personโs file, kinda like a trophy,โ Karlin said to the local news outlet.
Karlinโs not the only one who likes to teach thieves a lesson with trick packages.
YouTube content creator Mark Rober put his engineering skills to use when he created glitter bomb traps for unsuspecting pirates. Once they snatch the package off his lawn, the fun begins. Itโs equipped with a camera and a GPS tracker. It also โexplodesโ once opened, spewing out loads of hard-to-remove glitter and a โspecialโ scent.
There are other ways to fight this kind of crime, however.
You can immediately make a report to the police when you witness a porch pirate stealing a package. You can also receive your packages in person and take them inside once delivered.
It might be a new way to steal, but itโs still preventable just like any other petty crime.
Watch how this man โsolvedโ his porch pirate problem and got a little revenge in the video below!
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