Several homes in my town have had delivered packages stolen from their doorsteps after a delivery truck drops a package and the homeowner is unable to retrieve it quickly.
Enterprising thieves use the holiday season to wander through neighborhoods and pick off packages. Our police department and mayor shared the following tips that I am passing on to my readers. These are 5 things you can do to avoid package theft this holiday season:
1. When you are at home, check your front door frequently for packages. Delivery people tend not to knock and they deliver at seemingly all hours of the day and night. The sooner a package is retrieved the less likely it will be seen and possibly stolen.
2. It is safer to have your packages delivered to your place of work, if possible, so they are not left in view at your front door until you get home.
3. If you have a trusted neighbor who is home most of the day, check with that neighbor to see if you can have your package delivered to his/her house where it is likely to be picked up more quickly.
4. Perhaps some enterprising person who is home most of the day would like to start a service by accepting package deliveries to his/her home for a reasonable fee. (A little extra income for the Holiday Season!)
5. If you see anything suspicious, call 911. If you see someone either in a car, on a bicycle or walking that seems to be following a delivery truck or checking houses for packages, let the police know. Officers can check it out, perhaps catching a thief or discouraging an attempt to steal packages.
Hope this helps you all and not let you become a victim of a Grinch!