Amazon May Go After “Porch Pirates” By Delivering To Car Trunks, Inside Homes

Have you ever come home, expecting to see an Amazon delivery waiting by your door only to find that it had been pilfered by “porch pirates” who will swipe any box with that trademark grin printed on it? But what if that same package could be delivered inside your home?

Only weeks after Walmart said it would test a grocery delivery service that puts your order right into your fridge, Amazon is reportedly looking to develop its own methods for more securely delivering orders.

Playing Keep Away

Two “sources familiar with the matter” told CNBC that the company is working on a smart doorbell that would allow delivery drivers to type in a one-time use code so they could enter a home and leave packages inside. This sounds a lot like Walmart’s new test, which also allows delivery personnel access to customers’ abodes with a one-time passcode.

Amazon is also reportedly talking to a company called Phrame, which makes a secure box that fits around a person’s license plate, and can hold keys to the car. Users can grant access to others remotely, allowing them to input a code to get the keys out. They can then unlock the trunk and place the packages inside.

When Porch Pirates Attack

Sadly, we’re all too familiar with porch pirates, as we’ve covered quite a few of these thefts in the past. For example, there was the time a video allegedly showed an Amazon delivery guy’s friend stealing a package right after it was delivered; or the terrible person who was filmed apparently instructing a boy to swipe items off a homeowner’s porch.

But these villains don’t always get away so easy: One maligned homeowner posted surveillance video of a package theft on Facebook, and ended up finding the alleged thief.

And then there are those who express their frustrations with package thieves in a more ah, direct approach, like the man who set a porch pirate trap with a giant box of dog poop, or the couple who was so tired of holiday package thefts, they filled a box with excrement and set up a camera to film what happened.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist