Don’t let porch pirates ruin your holidays. Tips to protect your packages

Porch pirates already are out cruising neighborhoods and looking for easy marks as packages are left on doorsteps.

The surge in online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic combined with holiday shopping makes for even more of a temptation for those box bandits.

Porch pirates often target areas they’re familiar with or neighborhoods known to have frequent deliveries.

So, it’s always a good idea to take a look around your street for any unfamiliar people or suspicious vehicles or someone parked in their car for awhile watching the street.

“Unfortunately we take reports of package thefts year round, however we certainly see an increase in these types of incidents around the holidays,” said a Facebook post by Kennewick police.

If you see something suspicious call the non-emergency dispatch number 509-628-0333.

Here are some tips to foil these thieves from spoiling your holiday giving:

1. Enlist a neighbor. Ask a friend or neighbor who lives near you to keep an eye out for your deliveries and to hold onto the package until you get home.

2. Get items shipped to work. Instead of using your home address, have packages delivered to your office or workplace if that’s OK with your company.

3. Sign up for delivery notifications. Text or email alerts can give you a heads up when your package should be delivered so you can arrange to be there when it arrives. You also can request a signature for delivery of expensive items.

4. Give delivery instructions. When scheduling a delivery, leave instructions on where the package can be delivered, preferably somewhere out of sight and not in view from the street. Or, request it be held at the post office or FedEx/UPS store until you can pick it up.

5. Put in a porch lock box. You can install a lock box where packages can be dropped off.

6. Install a doorbell camera or security camera. Doorbell cameras can’t stop a package thief but they can discourage someone from taking the risk of being photographed and recorded in the act.

7. Set up a neighborhood watch. Watch groups can help spot various types of problems in your neighborhood, including porch pirates.

8. Take advantage of curbside pickup. Many retailers have started offering the option of contactless curbside pickups during the COVID pandemic. So, you can place your order as you normally would and pick it up directly from the store once it’s ready without worrying about it being stolen outside your home.

This story was originally published November 24, 2021 at 2:01 PM.