Along with holiday gift deliveries comes thieves and burglars looking to capitalize on your new purchases.
Pennsylvania State Police are warning residents that leaving unsupervised packages on porches, in driveways, at apartment door and in mailboxes makes you an easy target for criminals.
InsuranceQuotes.com reports that an estimated 23 million Americans have had packages stolen from their home and that number is only expected to rise as more and more purchases are made online. In Pennsylvania, Allstate Insurance has found that nearly two-thirds of Keystone State residents have had valuables delivered to their homes when they are not present and eight percent have been victims of package theft.
Troopers warn that packages delivered to a visible area outside can be used as easy targets by theft and burglars. The unattended packages alert criminals that no one is home.
While stealing packages from the U.S. Postal Service, UPS or FedEx is a federal crime, it becomes a local property crime if the items are delivered by UPS and FedEx and left at a home.
“Thieves will often follow UPS and FedEx trucks to homes, wait a few minutes, and then approach the house to steal the package,” state police said in a briefing.
Insurance companies often call the thieves that steal packages from homes “porch pirates” and may cover some of the stolen goods under homeowner’s insurance.
Federal Postal Service law enforcement make nearly 10,000 arrests each year with a large portion being for mail theft. Local and state police agencies often make arrests for similar property thefts.
Here are some tips from the state police to protect yourself from porch pirates:
- Install cameras on the outside of the home.
- Put inside lights and radios on timers, to give the appearance someone is home.
- Empty trash cans are a clear signal that no one is home. Ask a neighbor to return the empty cans to a designated area.
- Request a specific drop-off time and date.
- Sign up for alerts through the delivery service alerting you to when your package is delivered.
- If you know the date and approximate time of a package delivery, ask a neighbor to pick it up for you.
- Have packages delivered to a local UPS Store.
- Make use of modern technology. There are multiple smartphone applications that allow packages to be tracked.
- Call 9-1-1 if you see something strange and report the tip to authorities with as much detail as possible.
