Holiday Package Thefts: 7 Tips for Prevention From Prince William County Police

MANASSAS, VA — You're at work. The UPS guy delivers a package and leaves it on your front porch. You get home from work. No package.

Unless you had a neighbor pick it up, your package likely was stolen, and with the holiday season beginning this week in earnest, thieves know all too well that front porches are fertile ground for poaching packages.

With that in mind, Prince William County Police have provided some suggestions for preventing such holiday buzz kills:

• Have your packages delivered to a location where someone can receive them in person, such as a neighbor or relative who is usually at home, or your workplace (if your employer allows it).

• Encourage your neighbors to watch for deliveries and agree to secure each other’s packages. This includes being watchful for any person who is going onto porches for no apparent reason, or who is following delivery trucks around.

• Ask the shipper to hold your package at their facility. Most will offer this service.
• Track deliveries online, or look into receiving a text notification to your cell phone when a package has been delivered as many companies offer these services.

• Request a signature confirmation of delivery and arrange to be there to sign for the package. This is especially useful to consider for expensive, desirable or irreplaceable items.
• Insure valuable items.
• Provide delivery instructions. If packages will be left while you are not home, try to have them left out of sight from the street.

If you see anyone acting suspiciously, call the police non-emergency number at 703-792-6500. Try and provide as much information as possible: vehicle descriptions, license plate numbers, individual descriptions, the last direction of travel, etc.

There also are ways to alert you via email or other apps when your package has arrived (or been removed), such as Package Guard, but you have to pay.

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