How to Avoid Having Your Packages Stolen: Montgomery County Police

GAITHERSBURG, MD — As presents begin to arrive on doorsteps in the wake of Cyber Monday shopping, Montgomery County Police warn residents to be on the lookout for "porch pirates" swiping recently delivered packages left outside houses.

The holiday spending spree creates more opportunities for thieves to steal deliveries. The Montgomery County Police Department shares ways residents can ensure that packages are securely delivered:

Choose A Delivery Address Wisely

• Choose to Have Package Delivered to An Attended Location
  • When you order something online, consider sending the package to a place where you know someone will be available to receive it – your workplace or a friend or neighbor’s home.

• Choose to Have Package Delivered to Carrier Location
  • Have your deliveries sent to the nearest shipping company center. Many shipping carriers will hold the package for up to five days.

• Choose In-Store Pick Up
  • Many retailers provide the option of purchasing an item online and picking it up at the nearest retail location.

Know When Your Package Will Be Delivered – Sign Up For Notification Services

• Many shipment companies offer services to help you track your deliveries by receiving text messages or an e-mail. You can then plan on being home at the time of delivery or ask a trusted friend or neighbor to stop by the delivery location and retrieve the package.

• After receiving a notification alert and you determine that you won’t be home, many carriers allow you to re-route your shipment to another location or to the carrier’s facility for later pick-up.

Require A Signature

• Many shipping companies offer a service that requires a signature for a package to be released.

Provide Delivery Instructions

• Many carriers allow residents to provide instructions on where the deliveries should be placed at the home (side porch, garage door, etc.)

Insure Your Package

• Consider insuring your package. Contact your chosen mail carrier for coverage policies and requirements.

UPS, Federal Express and U.S. Postal Service trucks are driving through neighborhoods dropping off goodies. And in a move dubbed "front porch shopping," observant thieves will follow delivery trucks and steal recently delivered packages from porches and stoops.

More tips from area police departments to help foil thieves:

• Ask neighbors who are home during the day to watch for deliveries.
• Track deliveries online and confirm delivery has occurred.
• Watch out for vehicles following delivery vans through neighborhoods. Some thieves will simply shadow deliver drivers and go from house to house stealing newly delivered packages.
• When sending packages, take them to a post office or other shipping facility rather than leaving them outside your home for pickup. Let the person you are sending the package to know to expect the package.
• Show off your home security system; make sure you have a sign in the front yard. If you have security cameras, make sure potential thieves know they're there, and if you have a doorbell camera, use it.
• Sign up for email notifications from FedEx, UPS and businesses like Amazon and Urban Outfitters to track your package from initial shipment to its arrival at your home or the recipient's address if you have the gift delivered directly.

»Photo courtesy of US Postal Service