Tips To Prevent Package Thefts This Holiday Season: Fairfield PD

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield police are offering several tips to help prevent package thefts for residents expecting deliveries this holiday season.

"As more people begin to shop online for their holiday gifts, more deliveries will be made and more people may become victim to porch pirates who steal packages that have been delivered," Fairfield Police Chief Christopher Lyddy said in a news release. “We encourage all of our residents to set up a safe delivery system that ensures their gifts are protected upon their delivery."

According to the National Neighborhood Watch, nearly one in four adults in the United States has reported having a package stolen at least once.

The Fairfield Police Department shares the following tips from the National Neighborhood Watch to help prevent package theft:

• Consider getting a P.O. box at your local post office or having packages delivered to your office
• Set up notifications to track your packages
• Install a security camera in the area(s) outside your home where packages may be delivered
• Require a signature upon delivery to ensure packages are never left unattended
• Reschedule delivery or ask for a package hold when on vacation
• Research potential home security technology and locking device options to protect and monitor packages
• Ask your neighbors to grab your packages for safekeeping until you return home
• If you find your package has been stolen, immediately report it to Fairfield Police

Lyddy also offers the following tips to holiday shoppers on how to avoid any incidents or theft while shopping in stores and online:

• As more people are on the road during the holiday season, be sure to drive carefully. Be patient when looking for a parking space. Do not speed up in a parking lot to catch an empty spot. Look for other cars or people when backing out of a parking space, and back out slowly.
• Keep shopping bags out of plain sight in your vehicle, preferably in your trunk.
• Keep your purse close to your body or your wallet in an inside coat pocket or front pants pocket.
• Save your receipts and monitor your credit card activity.
• When shopping online, stick to retailers you know or have shopped with before.
• Do not use public Wi-Fi to make purchases in order to prevent hackers from intercepting your information.

For additional holiday safety tips, visit the Fairfield Police Department's resource page here.