Police offer tips on preventing porch pirates from stealing your holiday deliveries
Cyber Monday was just the start — nearly three weeks of online shopping days are still remaining.
And every day is like Christmas morning with the possibility of packages full of fun stuff showing up at the front door — unless, of course, some porch pirate Grinch steals your holiday cheer.
According to a 2019 nationwide study by C+R Research, nearly 92% of the 2,000 people surveyed said they expect at least one package from an online order to be delivered to their home this holiday season. Nearly 47% said they are worried about package theft, according to the study, and 42% said that fear will prevent them from making expensive online orders.
The study also found that those fears are warranted, as 36% of those surveyed said they had a package stolen and 31% reported a neighbor having been victimized.
Law enforcement across the country and in Whatcom County is well aware of those trends.
“The Bellingham Police Department wants to remind residents to be vigilant this holiday season as packages begin to arrive on our doorsteps,” Officer Josh McKissik, who is part of the department’s Neighborhood Police Officer Program, posted on Nextdoor. “The best holidays are safe holidays. Package theft is always a common topic of conversation and more so as we get into holiday shopping this time of year.”
In an effort to “help us help you,” McKissik offered the following advice for those expecting the delivery of packages:
▪ Request packages be sent to the post off or another participating location.
▪ Trade information about any package theft activity with neighbors.
▪ Share any video of package thefts when you capture it.
▪ If you know you’re going to be away when a package arrives, ask a neighbor to pick up your package.
▪ Offer to pick up neighbors’ packages when they are away from home.
McKissick also advised that simply making social media posts when package thefts occur is not enough, adding that theft reports to police by calling 911 or via the department’s online reporting site are necessary for police to be involved.
Stopping porch pirates
Of the 36% who said they had a package stolen in the C+R Research study, only 11% said that the porch pirate had been caught.
Many victims said they took steps to reduce the chances they were targeted again, with 25% investing in a doorbell camera, 19% getting another type of surveillance camera, 17% adding motion lights and 10% buying a dog. All told, victims averaged spending $191 to prevent future thefts, the study said.
Other precautions respondents told C+R Research they took for future orders included:
▪ Planning to stay home for delivery — 50%.
▪ Shop in stores — 32%.
▪ Utilizing in-store pickup — 31%.
▪ Asking for delivery to require a signature — 26%.
▪ Requesting delivery drivers hide the package — 15%.
▪ Having the packages sent to work — 14%.
▪ Scheduling delivery for a pick-up center — 13%.
▪ Sending packages to friends or relatives — 12%.
What to do if your package is stolen?
In addition to notifying police of stolen packages, as McKissick suggested, refundretriever.com made the following recommendations if you have a successfully delivered package that is stolen before you get it:
▪ Contact the carrier to report the missing package.
▪ Report the missing delivery to the vendor.
▪ Talk to neighbors — delivery to the wrong address can happen.
▪ Call your credit card company — some offer purchase protection on purchased items that are stolen.
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 12:52 PM.
