Avoid being a porch pirate victim this holiday season
SARATOGA COUNTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Between taking advantage of Cyber Monday deals, and shopping for the holidays in general, a lot of people are receiving packages to their homes right now. Law enforcement warning you that there are some people out there who might be looking to “shop” from your front porch.
Often referred to as "porch pirates," they’ve been caught on camera all over the country swiping deliveries from in front of their rightful owners’ doors. One street in Malta fell victim this week, with police reporting empty packages were recovered from 18 separate addresses on Thimbleberry Rd.
The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office continues looking into the string of package thefts, which they believe took place between 4:30 and 7 P.M. Monday, November 28.
“We got a call about some packages that were discovered discarded at a local convenience store, and that’s what led us to discovering the bigger picture,” said Captain Daniel Morley from the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office.
Law enforcement wants to help you prevent your potential Christmas gifts or important items from being stolen, too.
“I would strongly consider using the services that some of these delivery companies provide, like the secure locker service," said Morley. "You can have it shipped to your local package store, anything that you can do to take a couple steps to mitigate it, make it a little more difficult for someone to steal it, is going to help you in the long run.”
Amazon has locker locations all over the Capital Region. You can select one as a delivery option at checkout and use a secure code to retrieve your package when it gets here. But if you want to keep getting yours at home, police say you should consider installing a doorbell camera– often the key to catching thieves, and potentially even diverting them from your home.
“You might also consider using delivery instructions and have the delivery service leave the package somewhere that can’t be seen as well,” Morley said.
If you have any information or video camera footage that could assist the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office in their investigation, you’re urged to contact them.