“Hate Crime?” 30 Times People Were Baffled By Something They Found At Their Door

Folks online have been sharing some of the most random—either alarming or not—things they’ve ever found on doorsteps.

Some of the creepier ones do include things like blood stains, lost strangers in the middle of the woods, chicken feet, and whatever this thing is.

In other less alarming cases, though, it was wet (and irrigated) t-shirts, totems and ankhs, and strangely placed doorsteps altogether.

In any case, weird indeed. In many, quite alarming.

Bored Panda got in touch with former domestic violence detective Michael Arterburn, better known online as Killer Bee Tactical, who after 23 years on the force retired and now creates safety and security focused content online.

Arterburn admits that some of the behaviors seen in this listicle are extremely odd to say the least. In cases such as mysterious blood stains, he’d definitely recommend contacting the authorities. “You can always make an incident report just to have a paper trail in case the unsolicited contact escalates, say if it is attached to stalking,” Arterburn elaborated.

For context, things like chicken feet on doorsteps (or at any doors, for that matter) are often associated with witchcraft and superstition. They might be there because someone is trying to curse people.

Another seemingly frequent occurrence are various notes and scribbles, which can contain religious suggestions, conspiracies or random archaic scribbles hinting at a cult. Or it can be flat out creepy, like I have questions about your eyes. Needless to say, all of this is 100% crazy.

Considering this, I guess it’s PSA time: if, say, a package at your door is suspicious in any way, it’s best to call in professionals for that.

What’s suspicious? There are a number of factors that indicate this, but if you smell anything weird about it, the address is unfamiliar, there’s excessive wrapping or postage, or a “do not X-ray” sticker is on it, it’s leaking, or any other reason to think that the package is alarming, then it’s probably best to call the police to come check it out. Especially if you’re not awaiting a package.

All lethal substances aside, there are also things like brushing scams. A brushing scam is when you get a package that’s addressed to you, but you didn’t order it. It usually has a return to the sender label, which is in many cases an international third party retailer.

While you could get away with keeping all this random stuff, that’s what the sender wants you to do. Because that will allow them to have a positive review on their website with your name on it. A review they write themselves and “justify” it with your package. Thus boosting sales and seller reliability online.

There’s also the alarming fact that someone scraped the internet and got your personal information. And if they found it, whether by nefarious or not so nefarious means, this alone should be a wake up call to review online hygiene.

We previously interviewed Arterburn for another article which perfectly sums up just how much online hygiene and personal information awareness online are key, even in something as simple as uploading pictures. Since they contain meta tags, including location, it’s best to take screenshots of photographs and upload those instead. But, back to the topic at hand…

So, are any of these creepy things left on people’s doorsteps actual threats? It’s hard to say without having any leads or suspects, not knowing if this is a recurring thing or not being aware if this is a thing in general.

“I don’t know if this is similar to things like zip ties left on cars, and the internet rumor is that’s how traffickers mark people for kidnapping, which is completely false, but perpetuated by pranksters,” explained Arterburn. Needless to say, if the doorstep owner thinks it’s a threat, the police ought to be informed.

And if any of this escalates, there are a number of things that could help push away the tide of crazy, creepy and flat out criminal.

“Doorbell cameras or any kind of security cameras with motion sensors and infrared are very useful,” explains Arterburn. “Motion sensor security lights are another option.”

“Speaking to your neighbors and letting them know what’s going on would also be prudent. Their surveillance can also be useful to ID suspects, if they have cameras up.”

Another good thing to have around are security systems. Arterburn explains that systems with window and door sensors are very useful to have just in case any of this escalates into a burglary or a breaking and entering situation.

Lastly, there’s also the option to have a dog around the house as a deterrent. Though, it is understandable that it might not be an option for everyone depending on whether people can afford to have one, whether the house has enough space for it and considering other animal health factors.

Be sure to check out Killer Bee Tactical’s TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and other channels for more security and safety tips, useful guides, podcasts and more.

And if you liked this list and seriously need more spooks, you’re in luck as it’s Halloween season and spooks are everywhere, including in this Bored Panda article about spooky pet costumes.

But before you do that, why not leave a comment on anything and everything you’ve read and seen here today, and share your stories or takes in the comment section below!