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Amazon Plants Fake Packages In Delivery Trucks As Part of Undercover Ploy To 'Trap' Drivers Stealing (businessinsider.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Business Insider: Amazon uses fake packages to catch delivery drivers who are stealing, according to sources with knowledge of the practice. The company plants the packages -- internally referred to as "dummy" packages -- in the trucks of drivers at random. The dummy packages have fake labels and are often empty.

Here's how the practice works, according to the sources: During deliveries, drivers scan the labels of every package they deliver. When they scan a fake label on a dummy package, an error message will pop up. When this happens, drivers might call their supervisors to address the problem, or keep the package in their truck and return it to an Amazon warehouse at the end of their shift. Drivers, in theory, could also choose to steal the package. The error message means the package isn't detected in Amazon's system. As a result, it could go unnoticed if the package were to go missing. "If you bring the package back, you are innocent. If you don't, you're a thug," said Sid Shah, a former manager for DeliverOL, a courier company that delivers packages for Amazon.

22 of 236 comments (clear)

  1. now that everyone knows by renegade600 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    well, since the cat is out of the bag, only idiots will be caught.

    1. Re:now that everyone knows by farble1670 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      well, since the cat is out of the bag, only idiots will be caught.

      Not the point. Amazon doesn't care if you don't steal because you are honest or if you don't steal because you know you will get caught. They only care if you deliver your packages. It's much simpler to prevent crime than to punish it.

    2. Re:now that everyone knows by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Informative

      But this is only one way to steal. There are many other ways, such as taking a package to the porch, scanning it, so the GPS-enabled scanner marks it as "delivered", and then taking the package back to the truck. Then, just before returning to the distribution center, stash the sack of stolen boxes in the bushes to pick up later.

      The point of the "fake package" ploy is to identify those likely to steal. By publicizing it, they make it less effective at catching dishonest drivers.

    3. Re:now that everyone knows by taustin · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I would suggest that they don't actually have to have every actually planted any fake packages, because 99.999% of the benefit of the whole idea is in the story that they do.

    4. Re: now that everyone knows by AntronArgaiv · · Score: 4, Informative

      Just because the scanner "produces an error" does not mean that it does not also record the number of the scanned package, and who scanned it.

      Betcha that package number goes into "the system" as soon as it's scanned, thereby providing evidence that the driver had it in his hands at a particular time.

    5. Re:now that everyone knows by rtb61 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Actually in the case of delivery drivers, cameras mounted all around and inside the cargo area for security reasons, quite reasonable, just not the drivers compartment. Really the cheapest thing to do, data storage is pretty cheap, recording it pretty cheap, and problem solved. Keep the videos records for thirty days post delivery to resolve any delivery disputes, overall a pretty sound solution, video record all deliveries, done and finished.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    6. Re:now that everyone knows by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Informative

      Violation of federal labor law.

      No, it is not a violation of federal labor law.
      It may be a violation of state law, depending on your state: Connecticut and Delaware ban hidden cameras.
      Video surveillance of employees is generally legal.
      Audio surveillance is generally illegal without notification.
      Video surveillance is illegal if there is an expectation of privacy, such as in a restroom.

    7. Re:now that everyone knows by quenda · · Score: 4, Funny

      Amazon doesn't care if you don't steal because you are honest or if you don't steal because you know you will get caught.

      Sounds just like God.

    8. Re: now that everyone knows by tehcyder · · Score: 3, Interesting

      This suggestion checks out in a world where rich people dont steal, and yet...

      But do they steal at a lower rate than the poor? If the rate of theft is lower, and savings from shrinkage and reshipping costs is still higher than wages then is it economical viable to do so?

      The richer you are, the more the risks of getting caught outweigh the potential gain

      If you are homeless and starving, you're not going to care if you get caught and put in a cell overnight and given a bowl of soup, a bread roll and a stern talking to.

      But if you're a lawyer or doctor and you find a wallet with a couple of hundred cash in it in the street, the (very small) risk of getting caught if you pocket it is massively multiplied by the negative impact if you are caught, get a trivial fine, but lose your career, house, etc.

      If you're even moderately well off, the reward part of the reward/risk calculation has to be pretty big to make crime worthwhile.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  2. Why would you steal an empty package? by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It seems really odd that someone would steal a package so light you could basically tell it was empty. Maybe they think they are getting some kind of small electronics? At least put a brick in there Amazon.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Why would you steal an empty package? by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

      Those packages weren't "empty", they were my scientific atmosphere samples, you insensitive clod!

  3. Re:Amazon's own delivery service by Martin+Blank · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I don't have a problem with timing (maybe due to Prime), but I do have a problem with drivers literally throwing packages several feet. It hasn't happened on the last two deliveries, but my home office is right by the front door and I could hear packages hitting and tumbling, and they'd be scattered across the porch. Looking outside, the driver would be almost back to his truck. I once went to get some kind of ID so I could report it, but the driver completely ignored me. I got the plate number and reported it to the company and to Amazon. Didn't get a follow-up from either one, though.

    --
    You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
  4. Re: Amazon's own delivery service by TheMeuge · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Well... They are paid so little that they need food stamps, are scheduled for 1-2 hours less that full time to avoid paying for their health insurance, and are scheduled to deliver enough packages to take up all their time if they never eat or pee. What do you expect?

  5. Re: Amazon's own delivery service by farble1670 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Well... They are paid so little that they need food stamps, are scheduled for 1-2 hours less that full time to avoid paying for their health insurance, and are scheduled to deliver enough packages to take up all their time if they never eat or pee. What do you expect?

    Lesson: if you are unhappy with your employment, you should damage others' property. Because it will help you.

  6. Re:Amazon: "We just can't trust our drivers!" by devslash0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    That's the right approach. In fact, you should not automatically trust anyone. Even your girlfriend. Trust should always be earned, not assumed. In a job like this, however, there is no way to earn trust, therefore checks like this are absolutely necessary.

  7. Re:Amazon's own delivery service by commodore64_love · · Score: 3

    Why does it matter? If the item is damaged, you're not obligated to pay for it. U.S. Law is written to protect the customer from getting screwed by mail-order companies like amazon (or their delivery agents)

    --
    "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
  8. Re:Entrapment? by Tyr07 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's not entrapment.

    Your job is to deliver the package. They didn't do anything that suggests you should keep it instead. There is no reason to believe you can keep it just because there is an error scanning it. It's not yours. No one said it's fine to keep if the system has a problem with it.

    It's a sealed box. Calling that entrapment would be like saying people parking their cars on streets sometimes get stolen, and putting a car alarm in them is baiting them to steal it for entrapment. At no point was it suggested or pushed that you should steal a car.t.

  9. Re: Amazon's own delivery service by haruchai · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "Which is exactly what we predicted when congress passed ObamaCare, requiring full time employees be covered. Well, now we have a bunch of professions that no longer work full time"

    If by "we", you mean the people who said implement Medicare-for-all instead of that convoluted gladhanding to the insurance industry, then yes, this is exactly what "we" predicted.

    --
    Pain is merely failure leaving the body
  10. Re: Amazon's own delivery service by TheMeuge · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They simply don't have the time to glad hand your packages. If they place them instead of throw them they won't meet their delivery schedule. Also, they are probably too tired and unhappy to care.

  11. I'm reminded of by rsilvergun · · Score: 4, Insightful

    this.

    If you're wondering why this feels like entrapment even though legally it's not; it's because Amazon treats their workers badly enough (and keeps them financially desperate enough) that temping them with something so minor is enough to push them over the edge. Want people to stop risking their jobs and jail time for what's maybe a $20 package? Pay them enough to live.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  12. Re: Amazon's own delivery service by Dare+nMc · · Score: 4, Informative

    >. Well, now we have a bunch of professions that no longer work full time"

    Except it didn't happen. The number of part time employees has been slowly decreasing since ObamaCare passed.

    https://tradingeconomics.com/u...

  13. Re: Amazon's own delivery service by tehcyder · · Score: 4, Funny

    Walmart employees, however, don't hover around in the parking lot and steal merchandise from my cart as I'm putting it in the car.

    Well don't you live in a fancy area then?

    --
    To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it