Police in western Canada have hinted at using bait packages in a bid to catch so-called “porch pirates.”
Thefts of parcels from front porches have spiked in recent weeks as more shoppers use online retailers to get goods delivered ahead of the holidays.
Vancouver police receive reports of packages going missing almost daily, with brazen thieves often caught in the act on home surveillance video.
“We don't like to share our techniques publicly, but I do have a message for thieves out there that the next time you take a parcel from someone's doorstep, it could belong to your local police department," Sgt. Jason Robillard told CTV News Vancouver.
Last week, a popular YouTube star and former NASA engineer Mark Rober revealed a glitter-filled bait package bomb he designed, after a pair of thieves stole an Amazon delivery from his front steps earlier this year.
The device, disguised in a box for an Apple HomePod, disperses a pound of glitter as well as releasing a rancid spray and recording the surprise from four phones installed inside the box.
Meanwhile, a B.C. mayor has warned web users that online scammers are also active this Christmas.
Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart shared a hoax email purportedly from him asking his friends to buy him gift cards.
"If you're targetting people during the Christmas season, if you're simply trying to steal stuff that doesn't belong to you, this is really despicable stuff," Stewart said.
