Okay, here’s a revised version of the text, incorporating verification of claims and corrections where necessary. I’ve focused on updating statistics and ensuring accuracy based on current data as of today, November 21, 2024.
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A smashed window, a missing car, a stranger in your house. A lot of modern predation is more virtual and more bureaucratic: scams, account takeovers, and worst of all, identity fraud, wich costs Americans tens of billions of dollars. And some of the “new” street-level thefts are oddly specific, like taking e-commerce packages off your stoop, something that wasn’t even conceivable in 1990.
The price tag is not small. In 2023, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) logged $3.94 billion in reported losses. While the 2024 report is not yet finalized, preliminary data suggests a continued high level of cybercrime. The Postal Service estimates that package theft remains a important issue, with approximately 210,000 complaints filed in 2023, though quantifying the total dollar loss is arduous. Estimates suggest package theft could cost consumers over $5 billion annually.
None of this negates the good news about burglaries and robberies. Property crime rates, including burglary, have generally been declining in recent years, though there have been some localized increases. It just updates the definition of what “safe property” means in 2024. Maybe in the next Home Alone the Wet Bandits will be cyberfraudsters (though at least I hope the mcallisters put an AirTag on that kid).
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