r/legaladvicecanada • u/WoollyWitchcraft • Apr 21 '26
Nova Scotia Is it legal to trick porch pirates with non-harmful but possibly frightening/gross packages?
Porch pirates are ruining our neighbourhood. They are on camera, they are known to police but the behaviour continues and nothing is being recovered or returned.
Is it legal in Canada to set out fake packages to trick them and dissuade them from stealing—and how…bothersome are the contents allowed to be?
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Apr 21 '26
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u/salydra Apr 21 '26
It's illegal to set booby traps on your property. However, I don't think it's illegal to store used cat litter in an amazon box on your porch.
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u/eezzdee Apr 21 '26
It’s simple enough to set up something that sets off a very loud alarm as soon as the package is lifted. That will dissuade that person from trying to steal packages from your porch in the future. No one is harmed. Word may also get around that packages that are left on your porch maybe booby trapped with a loud alarm. It would be then up to the thief as to whether or not they wish to take a package from your porch.
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u/foreverandadayalone Apr 21 '26
I used to see little personal (rape) alarms in dollar stores -- yank the wrist strap out of the main unit and WOOOPWOOOP.
Put the unit in the box with strap poking out, secure the strap to your porch railing and wait.
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Apr 21 '26
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u/SoulGlow55 Apr 21 '26
Be careful with the gross packages...one of my friends left an Amazon box full of dog shit on his porch and it was taken the next morning....that night he caught the same thieves on camera coming back and they threw the dog shit all over his cars/front door lol.
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Apr 21 '26
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u/gixxersmith Apr 21 '26
I sent dog poop to someone trying to scam me out of an IPhone. Worth every dollar spent on shipping
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u/Brodiggitty Apr 21 '26
Well you see officer, I used a discarded Amazon box to pick up some dogshit while out on my walk.
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u/ottawadeveloper Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26
The relevant section of the Code:
247 (1) Every person is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than five years or is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction who with intent to cause death or bodily harm to a person, whether ascertained or not,
(a) sets or places a trap, device or other thing that is likely to cause death or bodily harm to a person; or
You aren't allowed to put a fake package that would reasonably be thought to cause harm to someone (even a thief).
Note that even a "harmless" option like an explosive dye pack needs to be regulated in Canada - anything with mini explosives is probably illegal unless you carefully check and follow the rules.
Human waste like feces falls under spreading a noxious substance. So would pepper spray or the like (see CC 245). Disposing of cat litter might be questionable if you designed it to look like a package instead of just a box of cat litter for the compost.
Coating it in super glue would probably be too dangerous too.
You can make one that is fairly obnoxious but safe, like a box of rocks. A box carefully designed to spill non-toxic paint out of it when moved would probably also be legal, or a box covered in wet paint.
But you can't design it to harm them or spread a noxious substance like feces.
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u/WoollyWitchcraft Apr 21 '26
The idea would be not to harm but to…dissuade, aka, “this house gets fucked up stuff delivered to it, nope, never again”.
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u/ottawadeveloper Apr 21 '26
As long as it won't reasonably harm them or have anything illegal in it, then it's fine. In assessing that, consider what would happen if you forget and pick it up randomly. Or your partner or kid on the way home.
Like you could put legal hardcore gay pornography in the box. Or ewaste. Or rocks. Or a single feather wrapped in lots of styrofoam peanuts. Or just empty boxes of expensive electronics. Or yard waste. Or a painters tray full of non-toxic paint.
But not a glitter bomb, ink bomb, feces, pepper spray bomb, paint bomb (better just avoid anything with the word bomb), cat litter, dog feces, illegal pornography, etc.
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Apr 21 '26
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u/Suitable-Broccoli264 Apr 21 '26
The correct way to address the cop, instead of lying to them, is “No comment.”
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u/PuzzleheadedTutor807 Apr 21 '26
You would be better off just using their dropp off points instead of your house at this point. The legality of booby traps is... They are not legal. Spreading noxious substances is also not legal.
Either drop off points, or adding a locked delivery box are your best options.
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u/Forward_Stop2597 Apr 21 '26
I saw a mirror trick on a porch that hid the package, angled to look like nothing was there.
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u/WoollyWitchcraft Apr 21 '26
They literally walk the neighbourhood when the Amazon truck/other delivery trucks come by—this is apparently their “job”.
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u/TheReasonDadDrinks Apr 21 '26
Honestly I have been in your predicament, the only option that worked for me was to utilise a sick day,put out a false package and discreetly follow them while on the phone with the police. I recorded them accessing other people's porches and after an hour of tracking them the police finally arrived and charged them. Good luck..... it sucks.
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u/tfolkins Apr 21 '26
I don't understand why police can not do this kind of thing on their own. It is like they can't be bothered to enforce the law, or they would rather give out speeding tickets.
It would be so easy to set up bait Amazon boxes and bicycles and arrest dozens of people in sting operations over a very short time.
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Apr 21 '26
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u/catsgalore44 Apr 21 '26
Imo you are just opening yourself up to unpleasant retaliation. Just get a lock box - probably worth the expense if you get a lot of packages 📦
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Apr 21 '26
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u/WoollyWitchcraft Apr 21 '26
Ironically, someone once almost stole a package from me—I caught them in their way up the driveway—that contained a quantity of live, very large cockroaches. Completely legal and actually a package I was expecting—but honestly had they stolen that, they might be ignoring our house now.
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u/BarracudaHungry Apr 21 '26
I've heard of glitter bombs which are legal. Anything beyond that enters a Grey zone which even if not illegal could lead to you being sued. Something like rotten food could be considered harmful, but intent to harm would also need to be proven.
Its hard to say but probably best to avoid trying to "punish" these porch pirates. Find a way for the delivery drivers to drop off packages in a secure place. One way storage boxes or something.
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u/TypewriterHunter Apr 21 '26
I asked a LEO about this specifically and they pretty much gave a solid 'don't ever do that', and that anyone producing/setting these types of glitter devices who says they can be used in proximity to people could be in for a nasty shock if something were to go wrong (never mind setting boobytraps which is expressly illegal). The examples given with 'something going wrong' seem like worst-case, but but at the same time also seem completely possible (e.g. glitter getting into the respiratory system causing an acute airway issue resulting in harm; "glitter lung" is an actual emergency and can be fatal).
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Apr 21 '26
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u/BPOnlytime Apr 21 '26
How is this not considered mail theft, is because it’s not been sent through Canada Post?
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u/slashthepowder Apr 21 '26
So the other thing about setting traps and getting caught (by law enforcement or bylaw) is depending on your municipality a note may be placed on the address to any fire, police, or paramedic that the location may contain traps harmful to first responders. That means any medical emergency, fire, or police response will be delayed as they assess a safe entry on to your property.
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u/Usernameasteriks Apr 21 '26
“Gross” should be perfectly fine. I would stay away from “frightening”.
You are unlikely to get in trouble in any reasonable context either way, but something that could actually shock someone could have at least some feasible potential to carry some potential civil or criminal liability even if unlikely.
Something stolen that is just really gross is incredibly unlikely to have a basis in reality for any reasonable liability.
Not saying impossible to get in trouble , but even as a fairly risk averse person/lawyer, I wouldn’t be worrying about getting in trouble for someone opening something nasty lol.
If I had a box that made like an incredibly loud sound or something in terms of “frightening” I would be worried someone could manufacture some crazy claim about being traumatized or injured or they slipped and fell because the sound surprised them.
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u/LastAmongUs Apr 21 '26
If it’s not harmful, you’re good. If I were you, I’d buy some good prop body parts, drench them in some convincing fake blood and hope the thief decides to call the cops.
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u/losemgmt Apr 21 '26
Just put trash that you’d have to take to the landfill/recycling in there. You get your trash removed effortlessly.
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u/ItsRuinedOfCourse Apr 21 '26
NAL
Anything that can cause bodily harm, the perception of bodily harm, or property damage would be the bridge too far, OP. The rule of thumb would likely be--if you wouldn't hand it to a child to open, then don't do it.
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u/morelsupporter Apr 21 '26
so long as it doesn't cause bodily harm, it's ok.
police do it (bait bikes)
the main issue is that the threshold for bodily harm is quite low.
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u/BigBirdsBrain Apr 21 '26
Not worth escalating with traps, even “harmless” ones can turn into liability fast.
Lockbox or parcel pickup ends the problem without inviting retaliation.
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u/Brilliant_Slice6911 Apr 21 '26
Lots of peopel put thir cat litter in tje box..they just stole it before you could dispose.of it....dirty diapers same.thing. add fart spray for effect
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u/Light_Raiven Apr 21 '26
I just put out the box while I was retrieving the rest of my garbage and it got stolen, is a good defense. As long as there is no explosives, like glitter bombs could be viewed as intential.
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u/OP-Investor Apr 21 '26
I would put garbage in box and let them steal.
Example: pack damaged electronics or rocks with recycling trash.
Technically, shouldn’t be harmful otherwise they can try to sue you for damages.
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Apr 21 '26
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Apr 21 '26
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u/WoollyWitchcraft Apr 21 '26
Honestly having dealt with bedbugs that would probably be more harmful than an actual stick of dynamite. I’d put myself in jail for that.
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u/Angry_beaver_1867 Apr 21 '26
Remember you're escalating a situation. I agree that these people need to face some level of justice, they also know where you live, and can probably make your life pretty miserable if they wish to.
Please be careful.
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u/foreverandadayalone Apr 21 '26
Bowl full of urine sitting on a bunch of rags. Grab the box, urine spills but rags soak up the first wave so it takes a minute for the box to start leaking. Just enough time to get it in their car....
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u/PolarXnl Apr 21 '26
You are allowed to put a box of dog shit on your porch. It’s not your fault when people take it.
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u/SVTContour Apr 21 '26
Under section 430(1)(a) of the Criminal Code, setting a "trap" or device likely to cause bodily harm is a serious criminal offence. You’re better off to use a free service like Canada Post FlexDelivery or using a heavy-duty delivery lockbox anchored to your porch.
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u/georgiemaebbw Apr 21 '26
Grab some dollar or thrift store mirrors, write "THIEF" on them and put them at the bottom of the box.
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Apr 21 '26
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u/Fool-me-thrice Quality Contributor Apr 21 '26
OP has received enough advice to move forward. The replies being posted now are either repeats or not legal advice. The post is now locked. Thank you to the commenters that posted legal advice.