UPS uses AI tool to protect deliveries as package thefts increase during holiday season
COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ)
With Christmas just days away, there is an increase in packages being delivered across the country, which also means it’s open season for porch pirates.
Columbia resident Breana Logan found that out the hard way when a woman walked up to her front door in the middle of the day, and walked off with a package that was sent from her son’s godmother in New Jersey.
“It’s just kind of ridiculous,” Logan said. “People work hard for stuff. And for people to just walk up on your porch and take your packages, that’s just very unnecessary. And people should really be ashamed of themselves for doing that kind of stuff.”
Logan added that this was the first time she had had a package stolen. She caught the theft on camera but was busy at work when it occurred. By the time she saw the notification that someone was at her door, it was too late.
“I looked and I was in shock,” Logan said. “I was like ‘Did this person really just walk on my porch and just nonchalantly just take this package and just walk off’”, Logan said. “If I had caught it and not been busy at work I could have hopped on my camera and been like ‘Hey I suggest you put that package down right where you picked it back up from.’”
According to data from SafeWise, a website that focuses on home security, last year there was an estimated 113 million packages stolen in the U.S. The 2023 total is expected to increase by more than 5%. Data also shows four-in-10 people who had a package stolen in the past year were hit by porch pirates more than once.
UPS has rolled out a new safety measure to try and combat porch pirates this holiday season. UPS has teamed up with an artificial intelligence called DeliveryDefense.
The tool assigns an address with a "delivery confidence score," which ranges from 0-1,000. The higher the score, the higher the chance of the package getting delivered, according to information from UPS.
When a score is low, UPS allows the option to reroute the package to a UPS access point.
A UPS spokesman told ABC 17 News in an email that there are more than 9,000 access points in the United States. UPS also says 90% of customers in the U.S. have an access point within five miles of their residence.
“This time of year, obviously, there’s a higher package volume. So there's always a possibility to have increased theft,” UPS spokesman Michael Baxa said. “We’re constantly aware of that here fielding customer service calls and helping direct those customers in the right direction to get that resolved.”
The access-point locations include UPS Stores, CVS, Advance Auto Parts, Michaels, UPS Authorized Shipping Outlets and other local businesses with evening and weekend hours.
