Beware of holiday packages getting stolen off your porch
Over 100 million people shop online on Cyber Monday. That’s over 100 million packages getting delivered to porches, with potential for getting stolen. But major delivery services are taking steps to prevent this.
“With FedEx it’s called the Delivery Manager and with UPS it’s called My Choice,” Rick Hone, general manager of Elevate Fulfillment, a local shipping company, said. “They can sign up for notifications for when stuff is basically going to be coming to their home. And then they can either hold it if they’re not going to be there to require a signature, they can hold it at the hub, or they can also, it will alert them when it’s delivered. And then when it’s delivered they can go home and get it or let somebody know if they’re concerned about it being taken.”
Try to have a spot on your porch where the delivery person can hide the package.
“If you use the services from the carriers, you can also give delivery instructions to let them know where to put the packages,” Hone said. “And then if you have it happen to you, typically, people will just want to have it held at the hub and go get it at their convenience.”
Many choose not to report stolen packages saying there will be no way to get them back. But, reporting the theft could help catch the criminal.
“There are times when those kinds of thefts follow a pattern,” Sgt. Bryan Lovell of the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, said. “Being able to know exactly where and when these things happen help us sort of track that pattern and hopefully catch up to someone that’s tied to stealing.”
Choose a delivery service that let’s you have insurance and track your package step by step.
“If you can actually select that with the carrier, it may cost a little bit more money,” Hone said. “But use a carrier that’s gonna have both insurance and, you know, that visibility.”
Sergeant Lovell also warned about keeping bags in your car while you’re out doing holiday shopping. Make sure your car is locked and keep those bags out of view.
