Beware Grinches Who Steal Christmas

A lump of coal is too good for the thief who recently stole my kid’s Christmas gift from my own front porch.

Unfortunately, ‘tis the season for opportunistic thieves to prey on holiday giving.

Our increasing use of convenient online shopping options that deliver those gifts to our (sometimes unattended) doorsteps just makes it an all that more easy crime to perpetrate sometimes.

The Danville police department’s Crime Prevention Specialist, Mike Wells says that package and mail thefts are “not high volume,” and sporadically occur around Danville. Planning ahead and reducing opportunity are the keys to prevention, he says.

While many vendors will re-ship stolen items as a courtesy, not all do, and your gifts may not arrive in time, so a few simple steps can help head off this potential holiday season stressor.

To ensure that your packages don’t fall into unintended hands, consider taking these steps to reduce the risk:

• Actively track your packages. Many vendors will provide you with a shipping tracking number, and by watching the progress of your packages, you can significantly narrow down the timeframe when you expect a package to land on your doorstep. Download a tracking app to your smart phone, and you can receive updates as your package moves along its route in real time.
• Require a signature confirmation for delivery. This is especially important if you are expecting sensitive materials or irreplaceable deliveries. If you have had repeated problems with stolen packages, some shippers allow you to request that all deliveries to your address require a signature. Carefully consider this option, however, because as a shipping representative who asked not to be named, cautioned, undoing this type of designation can be very difficult to do. 
• Designate an out of sight delivery location. Include special delivery instructions that packages be placed in areas that aren’t immediately visible from the street, such as on the side or back of the house.
• Get to know your delivery driver. Route drivers are fairly consistent, and when they are more familiar with you, they may be more receptive to accommodating your requests to place packages in more secure locations.
• Team up with your neighbors. Wells advises that neighbors coordinate with one another to watch for deliveries to their homes, and hold onto them until they return home.
• Deliver to your workplace if feasible. If your boss is amenable, arrange for packages to come directly to you during the workday.

If you do have a package stolen, be (even more) vigilant about identity theft. Unfortunately thieves can potentially use the information on the invoices in the package to perpetrate other fraud as well.

Happy holidays, and may thieves not dampen your holiday spirit!