Porch Pirates: Dearborn Heights Residents Report Theft of UPS Packages

(Originally posted on Dec. 15, 2015) DEARBORN HEIGHTS, MI — 'Tis the season. Apparently. UPS packages were stolen off the porches of two houses in Dearborn Heights, according to the Dearborn Press & Guide. They're not alone. More than 20 million people report packages stolen from their homes every year, according to a new survey from insuranceQuotes.com, a division of Bankrate Inc.

In Dearborn Heights, the first reported theft occurred in the 6000 block of Waverly on Nov. 23. A 41-year-old woman reported to police Dec. 10 that a UPS package containing a North Face jacket worth more than $80 was stolen off her front porch. She told police that UPS tracking shows the package was delivered at 5 p.m. Nov. 23, and was gone when she returned home later that day.

On Dec. 8, a 28-year-old man living in the 6600 block of Parkway Circle reported to police that on Dec. 5, a UPS package with two Michael Kors purses worth nearly a combined $300 was stolen off his porch.
The resident said that tracking showed the package was delivered the evening of Dec. 5, and UPS confirmed that the package was delivered.

Reolink, a security camera business, offers eight tips for keeping packages safe.

1. Use Smart Package Lockers or Convenience Store. Amazon now allows you to pick up your delivery at Amazon Locker with a unique code, which you can punch into the machine to retrieve your package in selected locations across the country.

2. Have Packages Delivered to Your Workplace.

3. Install a Smart Security Camera at Your Front Door. Having a smart video surveillance camera pointing at the front door, hallway or driveway is better than no camera at all. Approximately 34% burglar break into the house from front door, a relatively high proportion compared with other spots. A security camera will serve as deterrent for criminals and once the thieves are arrested, they will be charged with theft, property crime or other offenses. If a porch poacher steals USPS package, he or she is subject to serious criminal consequences including federal prison time and fines.

4. Require Signature on Delivery. Many customers grumble about delivery man signing the unauthorized packages and leaving them wide open in the porch or doorstep, making them desirable for package snatcher. The solution to the problem is asking for signature delivery. If your package is delivered by UPS, consult your sender and require delivery confirmation signature.

5. Reroute or Reschedule Delivery. Both UPS and FedEx offer web apps to help reroute parcel to another address and reschedule your package delivery at your convenience for a fee, for example, FedEx’s Delivery Manager, and UPS My Choice premium membership for $40 a year.

6. Require Vacation Package Hold. Many delivery companies such as USPS and FedEx offer a free service to uphold your package at their terminals or delivery centers for a period of time.

7. Get a Package Guard for Your Delivery. Package Guard, which is a Wi-Fi-enabled Frisbee-size device that requires the package to put on them on the porch, alerts a customer when a package has been delivered to their house. Find it here.

8. Insure Your Upcoming Packages

Photo by Paul Sullivan via Flickr Commons