If you fall victim to a porch pirate in North Alabama, it is important you notify law enforcement immediately.
As the holiday season approaches and people begin their Christmas shopping, porch pirating increases, which means online shoppers will need to take extra precautionary measures to protect those packages.
Monica Tame, a frequent online shopper, said one way to help reduce the risk of porch piracy is to lean on your neighbors. Her neighborhood started a watch group just for that purpose.
“It’s the only way we can. We have to be vigilant and proactive. Just make sure that we’re all watching out for each other. It’s the only thing we can do,” said Tame.
This is the time of the year when Americans are presented with a plethora of shopping deals, such as Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and year-end sales.
This means the threat of porch pirates significantly increases.
Tame said her next door neighbor had not one, but two, of her packages stolen off her front porch.
That crime inspired the idea of a neighborhood watch program.
“That’s why we thought about the neighborhood watch. She’ll say, ‘Hey, Monica, I’m expecting a package. It should arrive around this time.’ She went to Italy; I watch for the package. As soon as she told me it was going to get there, I watched for it, we grabbed it and I held it for her,” said Tame.
A neighborhood watch is one of many ways to protect your packages.
Huntsville Police offered the following additional ways you can avoid having your packages stolen:
- Limit the time between delivery and retrieval of those packages. The sooner you pick up the package, the better.
- Track your package. Know exactly when it is scheduled to be delivered.
- Find someone you trust to retrieve the package if you can’t get it in time, whether that be a family member, friend or neighbor.
- Invest in some sort of home surveillance, like video doorbell cameras or cameras around the home.
If none of those options suit you, there are other routes you can take.
“If you’re not going to be home most of the day, maybe you can have those deliveries delivered to your business, wherever you are, if that’s convenient for you,” said Rosalind White, public information officer with HPD.
As online shopping continues to be a priority for most consumers, Tame also offered some additional tips for shoppers this upcoming holiday season.
“I have Amazon Prime, like probably everybody in America, and I also have Amazon Prime card, so I have everything … ship either same day or the next day,” she said.
If you fall victim to a porch pirate, it is important that you notify law enforcement immediately.
It’s also important to note that lock boxes in Huntsville are an option as well.
