Many of your Black Friday sale items you plan to wrap and give as Christmas presents are probably on their way to your doorstep now, but there’s a rising concern over stolen packages; there’s a chance your order may not make it inside your home this Yuletide season.

We made a list of how to avoid stolen packages.

Tips To Prevent Losing Your Ordered Packages

Dupe porch pirates by not giving them anything to find and steal.

  1. Schedule the delivery time of your packages with your courier to make sure you’re at home when your items get delivered.
  2. Be aware of your neighbors and surroundings. Your neighbors can help track down potential porch pirates. You can also arrange a neighborhood watch so you know the people around you. You’ll find out who’s friendly out there, and who’s only around to steal packages. If you’re friendly with your neighbors, you can ask them to receive your packages when you’re not home.
  3. Set up a doorbell camera or security cameras outside your home in case a porch pirate steals your holiday packages. This way, you’ll have evidence and a detailed description of the thief.
  4. Instruct the shipping company’s delivery man or woman to drop your items somewhere hidden. You can allot a container specifically for packages. Make sure it’s out of sight.

How To Retrieve Stolen Packages

Retrieving stolen packages is an inconvenient task. Fortunately, there are ways to reclaim them.

  1. Inform your sender about the incident. Some senders are willing to replace or refund your items.
  2. Contact the e-commerce company you shopped from. Amazon is aware of the prevalence of porch piracy and they will assist you in taking preventive measures the next time. Make sure you have your packages’ tracking number listed or remembered. They can then look through their system whether or not the package was delivered— Amazon is open to give refunds if you never physically received your item.
  3. Communicate with your shipping company. Courier delivery services sometimes make mistakes and lose items; porch pirates are sometimes not the ones to blame.
  4. Report it to the police. Porch piracy is a punishable offense or crime depending on your state. Even if you don’t have video evidence of the thief, you must still file a case report. It’s a helpful document to have if you’re going to make an insurance claim on your stolen item.

Overall

Porch piracy is rampant this holiday season. The best way to prevent them from getting close to your porch is by taking security measures inside and outside your home, and to your packages. Contact the companies that play a role in delivering your items. Most importantly, let the authorities know about your stolen packages so they can investigate your neighborhood and keep a closer eye on thieves.

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