Is stealing an Amazon package home burglary? Here’s what the law says

To date there are very many ads periodically order some product from the internet, and have it delivered to your home, especially if we are talking about Amazon. More and more often we rely on online purchases, for the convenience and simplicity with which it is possible to place an order and receive the product at home.

However, it is not uncommon to find yourself in situations where, by ordering online, it is not possible to collect the package in time and personally, because you are not at home, or for other reasons. In this case, the unfortunate situation of not receiving the package at all may occur, but the reason is not due to the courier.

Whether a passerby, or a neighbor steals your Amazon package during delivery, can it be considered a theft? Here’s what the law says about it.

Stealing an Amazon package is theft

Regardless of the methods, stealing a package is considered theft: in fact the person appropriates an asset that is not in his possession, but which is intended for someone else. However, it may happen that the owner of the package does not go to collect it at the time of delivery, and instead provides the reception.

In this case it is possible that at a concierge desk, for example in the case of a condominium, the clerk keeps any parcels that have not been delivered correctly in storage. At this point, if you’ve ordered an Amazon package and you weren’t at home, just ask the concierge to get it back.

However, some clever ones could take advantage of the fact that the owner is not at home e decide to steal an Amazon parcel directly to the receptionwithout being seen by the caretaker.

According to the law, in this case we are in all respects faced with a theft, and to go into more detail, we are talking about theft in the home. Undoubtedly stealing an Amazon package, or in general a package intended for another person, is a crime.

However recently it is the Court of Cassation intervened to outline, in a specific case, what type of theft it is, according to the law. But let’s see, in the case in question, what happened and what was the final sentence.

Stealing an Amazon package is home burglary

According to a recent case analyzed by the Court of Cassation, stealing an Amazon package is considered the same as home burglaryeven if this takes place at the gatehouse of the building, or where there is generally a caretaker.

Parcels not delivered directly to the owner often come in fact held in custody at the receptionwhich is an area used to receive mail and welcome people at the entrance of buildings and condominiums.

Generally there is a caretaker here who sorts the mail and carries out some work for the condominium.

In the present case, a custodian had caught a thief who wanted to take a parcel that did not belong to him, which was instead addressed to one of the condominiums of the building. By the time the caretaker found this out, this couldn’t actually go ahead with the theft.

However the Tribunal then subsequently excluding the possibility of arrest in fragrance for the theft of the Amazon packagedeclaring that instead, in the specific deed it was a simple theft.

This thesis was supported by the fact that the concierge could not be considered as a private residence or part of a private house.

However the The Court of Cassation has rejected this interpretationconsidering legitimate the arrest in fragrance for theft, aggravated according to article 624 bis, on the basis of the rules on home theft.

This makes it clear that the concierge is considered in all respects a pertinence of the homein relation to the doorman or in reference to the different apartments that are part of the building.

In the specific case, therefore, it clearly emerged that stealing an Amazon package from a concierge is in all respects to be considered as home burglaryas the caretaker’s room is also part of the condominium.

What to do if an Amazon package has been stolen

Given these premises, what can you do if you realize that a parcel has been stolen? What can the actual owner of the package do? First of all, it is recommended to check whether the package has not been delivered to the reception.

If you live in a building, parcels may be handed over to the caretaker. It is also advisable to check whether someone who lives with you has not collected the package for you, or whether it has not been left at the entrance to the house.

If you still haven’t recovered it, it’s possible contact Amazon service and the courier, to verify that it has actually been delivered. It turns out possible too ask to access the tracking of the ordered productso that you know if it is still being shipped or if it has arrived at its destination, and contact the seller.

If the package is delivered, but has not arrived, it is possible report the problem to the portal from which you purchased, and also ask for a refund. In the event that it has been stolen, the culprit may be fined in money, but imprisonment is also foreseen.

Finally, it should be kept in mind that, as happened in the case analyzed here, anyone caught in the crime can be immediately arrested.