With online shopping becoming increasingly popular, instances of package theft are on the rise. With so many delivery companies simply leaving packages on front porches, in plain view of passersby, it’s no surprise that thieves are taking advantage of such blatant opportunities. In a survey conducted by Shorr Packaging, nearly 1/3 of people said they had personally experienced package theft— and 40% refused to buy expensive items (like electronics) online because they were scared they would get stolen.
In an interview with Carol Off of As It Happens, Barrow explained: “Like most people, I have everything delivered, from expensive car parts to toilet paper. So, they’ve pretty much taken everything.” Although Barrow had reported the thefts to police, local law enforcement wasn’t able to stop the occurrences— and finally, the man decided he’d had enough.
“I think police are just inundated with this kind of occurrence now,” he said. “You forward it to them, but if you have hundreds of them coming in, the manpower isn’t there for them to investigate all of them.”
“After they started taking my expensive Jeep parts is where I drew a line in the sand.”
In order to deter the thieves, Barrow came up with a little plan.
Using fishing wire and a 12-gauge shotgun blank, he managed to rig a booby-trap that would scare even the most brazen thief away. His invention, called TheBlankBox, looks like a regular package. When a thief tries to steal it from its location, however, it makes a loud and startling gunshot noise— scaring the bejesus out of the criminal and sending them running in fear.
Barrow set up TheBlankBox on his porch for a few weeks, later checking his security cameras to see what had occurred. The following video compilation shows some of his most hilarious successes.
In the video, which has since been viewed over 23 MILLION times, you see a string of thieves attempting to steal the fake package, only to be hilariously scared away by box’s homemade, gun alarm.
“One guy actually was trying to run so fast that the forgot there was a step there and missed it. He looked like he was trying to do the invisible box challenge in the air, like Roadrunner.”
“He hit the ground pretty hard and didn’t look back and kept running for his getaway car.”
Although Barrow’s invention seems like harmless fun, police do warn there could be legality issues involved. One concern was that the item was explosive. However, Barrow later retorted: “It’s not explosive; it’s a loud noise. Like a car alarm or any other alarm, it’s just a noise to deter theft.” Another issue is that if someone injures themselves because of a fake-package scare, the homeowner could be held liable.
Despite these risks, interest in TheBlankBox is booming, and Barrow has even started a business selling them online.
