Package pilferage is the theft of part of the contents of a package. It may also include theft of the contents but leaving the package, perhaps resealed with bogus contents. Small packages can be pilfered from a larger package such as a shipping container. Broader and related aspects of package theft may include taking the entire package, pallet load, truck load, shoplifting, etc. The theft may take place at any point in the parcel's journey from source to destination, including theft by rogue logistics employees and customs agents in international mail scenarios.
1853 painting of boys pilfering molasses from a barrel
Damage to the fresh, white paint of this shipping container indicates the top was removed and replaced in order to pilfer Army medical supplies. Soldiers of the newly arrived 575th Aerial Support Medical Company discovered at Kandahar Airfield October 1, 2009, that roughly $2 million worth of their company's medical equipment had been stolen in transit.
Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word theft is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as larceny, robbery, embezzlement, extortion, blackmail, or receiving stolen property. In some jurisdictions, theft is considered to be synonymous with larceny, while in others, theft is defined more narrowly. A person who engages in theft is known as a thief.
The Cunning Thief by Paul-Charles Chocarne-Moreau, depicting a thief about to steal a baked good
The Robbers Stone, West Lavington, Wiltshire. This memorial warns against thieving by recording the fate of several who attempted highway robbery on the spot in 1839.
Two young waifs steal a fine pair of boots.
Bicycles can occasionally be stolen, even when locked up, by removing the wheel or cutting the lock that holds them.
