Footage captures moment man allegedly steals a parcel as Aussies report $224m worth of goods lost or stolen

Shock footage shows a man allegedly stealing a parcel from outside a home amid a huge rise in Aussie package thefts. Watch the video.

A brazen thief has been caught on tape allegedly stealing a parcel outside a Sydney home, as Australians report a staggering $224 million worth of packages lost or stolen.

The footage, shared by NSW Labor MP Ron Hoenig, shows a young man allegedly taking a parcel from the front porch of a home in Alexandria, in Sydney’s inner west.

“Stealing from dwellings has been a problem throughout our area in recent years as online shopping has increased,” Mr Hoenig said.

“This is some recent footage of one such ‘steal from dwelling’ incident.”

A young man has been captured allegedly stealing a parcel outside a Sydney home.

The footage was shared by NSW Labor MP Ron Hoenig.

And while police are investigating the incident, more than 3.6 million parcels have been reported lost or stolen over the past 12 months, according to new research by shipping insurance Ship-Safely.

It also found Australia had the second highest increase in the world when it came to parcel theft incidents.

And with Aussies spending $63.8 billion on online shopping last year, nearly 70 per cent of online deliveries were lost, stolen or damaged.

Sharlene Lynch was one of millions of Aussies who never had her package delivered.

Sharlene Lynch was one of millions who have had their shopping deliveries lost, stolen or damaged.

“Three weeks before my wedding, I decided to purchase a collection of clothes for our honeymoon in Fiji. As someone who frequently orders items online, I usually place a test order of one item to check out the site and delivery services,” Mrs Lynch said.

“Unfortunately, it has now been months, and I still haven’t received this one item, despite emailing the company ten times and attempting to contact them through their website, social media, and chatbot.

“I have spent a considerable amount of time trying to get help from the retailer, but have not been satisfied with their response. In my research, I have since discovered that I am not alone in this experience, which is concerning.”

The alarming issue is what prompted Ship-Safely’s chief executive officer and co-founder Darren Milne to start the third-party insurance company, which covers items damaged, lost or stolen throughout the shipping process.

CEO and co-founder of Ship-Safely Darren Milne

Mr Milne said Ship-Safely works directly with the customer rather than the shipping company or vendor to resolve the issue within 48 hours.

“With the explosion of online shopping there has been a substantial increase in the number of parcels that are arriving either damaged or lost or stolen,” Mr Milne said.

“It’s a low-effort crime and, therefore, a massive problem. People are even following the couriers, waiting for them to deliver the parcels and then stealing them immediately straight from the porch.

“Until now there has not been any recourse for shoppers or retailers who are both impacted. Often customers are left to fix a problem that isn’t theirs to begin with.

“They can spend countless hours and days contacting the courier and retailer yet, many weeks later, still haven’t received their parcel.”

Mr Milne said once a retailer partners with them, they offer online shoppers the option to purchase parcel protection for as little as $2.25.

“So when their parcel doesn’t arrive, is damaged or stolen they contact us and within 48 hours we have resolved their issue and arranged for a new parcel to be shipped to them,” he said.

FINDING A MISSING ITEM

For Australian Post customers: If your item hasn‘t been delivered as expected, and you’re concerned that it’s missing or lost, you can submit a missing item form and you may be entitled to compensation. Full information here.

For DHL customers: You can also submit a form if your package is lost, damaged or stolen. The full steps to submit a claim can be found here.

Originally published as Footage captures moment man allegedly steals a parcel as Aussies report $224m worth of goods lost or stolen