9 Tips to Protect Package Deliveries

FAIRFAX, VA- It’s the most wonderful time of the year — unless someone has just stolen a box from your doorstep with that hard-to-find Christmas gift inside. Now you’ve got to try to find it again, if you can.

Avoid the worry and panic. Here are 9 tips to protect your packages and provide a little more security for a theft-free holiday, courtesy of Fairfax County Police.

1. If at all possible have packages delivered to your workplace.
2. Request that the shipper hold the package at their pickup facility so you may pick it up in person.
3. Have your package delivered to a place where it can be received in person. A neighbor you trust or a retired relative.
4. If purchasing from a larger retailer utilize the “in store pickup” option.
5. Request a specific date and time of delivery from the shipper so you can plan to be at home when your package arrives.
6. Provide detailed delivery instructions so that packages may be placed in a safe place that is out of sight from the street.
7. Sign up for delivery text or email alerts from the shipper.
8. Request that the shipper require a signature confirmation to ensure your package is not left un attended.
9. Finally, businesses like Amazon may offer “delivery lockers”, where your package will be left at a secure location similar to a post office where it will wait until you go to pick it up.