JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Christmas vacation procuring season is formally underway, and with it comes the porch pirates who will likely be out and about, trying to steal delivered presents that had been bought on-line.
News4JAX Crime and Security Analyst Tom Hackney stated there are issues folks can do to forestall changing into a sufferer of porch piracy. Step one is to pay shut consideration to when your packages are scheduled to be delivered.
“In case you’re residence seize it as quickly as doable. The longer it sits on the market, the larger goal it turns into and a much bigger alternative to be stolen,” Hackney stated.
Additionally, think about buying and putting in an outside lockbox. All of your delivered packages may be safely saved and locked contained in the field till you get residence. Another choice is an alternate supply location, particularly if the merchandise you bought is taken into account costly.
“Something you’ll be able to’t stay with out or something that may utterly upset you in case you had been out that a lot cash, think about elsewhere to have it delivered,” Hackney stated.
Your office is usually a nice supply location, particularly if the merchandise you bought can solely be delivered on a day and time when it’s a must to be at work.
In case you’re ordering a big-ticket merchandise straight from a nationwide retail chain, you’ll be able to prepare to have that merchandise delivered to one in every of their native shops the place you’ll be able to decide it up in particular person.
Must you roll the cube and permit your packages to be delivered to the doorstep, think about final yr’s knowledge on porch piracy. In accordance with Veho, a US-based supply logistics firm, porch pirates stole an estimated 260 million packages final yr throughout the US. The thefts resulted in losses totaling greater than $9 billion.
Porch pirates are so daring that not solely will they steal your packages in broad daylight, however they’ll go so far as to do it proper in entrance of your safety digital camera. In some instances, they’ll look proper into the digital camera as they steal your packages.
“They’ll look proper into your digital camera and virtually say thanks to your package deal and stroll off,” Hackney stated.
Lately, folks have posted movies of themselves inserting booby traps in faux packages left on their porch to show thieves a lesson. Hackney stated that’s a tactic it is best to keep away from.
“In case you booby lure issues the place somebody may get injured, though they’re stealing your property, you don’t need that on you. You don’t need the legal responsibility for that. You don’t wish to face a legal cost for booby-trapping a package deal. In case you booby lure one thing with the data that it will possibly damage another person, you’re criminally accountable for that,” Hackney stated.
So, the perfect factor you are able to do is take steps to keep away from these issues altogether.
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