Tina Himer shared a humorous but cautionary tale about a misguided porch pirate in a recent post on a St. Albert Facebook group.
“I bought my hubby a new 50-inch TV last week because his old one broke down. We took the old TV and put it in the box that the new one came in and set it in our entryway. Porch pirate came and picked it up on Tuesday night. I just wish I could see his face when he finds out it’s no good. He saved us a trip to the dump and got his just karma,” said Himer.
A nighttime surveillance video of the porch pirate carrying the TV box to a car across the street is also clearly visible. While Facebook responses were quite funny, porch piracy is no joke when it comes to items of value, or newly-delivered holiday parcels.
“It’s always too bad some people do this. We think we should be safe, but that’s not always the case. I got into this job to assist and protect people, and this is an invasion of our privacy,” said St. Albert RCMP Cpl. Morgan Kyle.
Every month Alberta RCMP focuses on a crime prevention theme. December’s province-wide initiative is mail and package theft. The reminder assists individuals in deterring crime while keeping sweet holiday memories from being stolen.
Although 85 per cent of consumers are returning to shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, close to 40 per cent of shoppers continue to shop online. For porch thieves, that’s a great deal of temptation.
“Last year, it was a big thing. We received a lot of calls of stolen deliveries. Everyone was trying to shop online because stores were closed,” Kyle said.
She added shopping online has become quite popular since Internet-based shopping ventures such as Amazon promise next-day delivery.
“It’s convenient, but delivery drivers don’t always ring the bell even if you are home. Install a surveillance camera so you can see when a package is dropped off and either you or your neighbour can pick it up. To make it less convenient for thieves, have [drivers] deliver it to a Canada Post location.”
Kyle also explained that some surveillance cameras are set up to send notifications to the homeowner’s phone whenever a package arrives. Even if the homeowner is away from a residence, a pre-arranged alternate pickup with a stay-at-home friend is a safe option.
And while wrapping a package in Christmas-themed gift wrap creates a merry vibe, stick to wrapping a parcel with brown paper. It is less of a red flag the contents are valuable gifts.
She also cautions against mail theft from house mailboxes and super postal boxes.
“We do see damaged and tampered mailboxes. They’ve been broken into. People are looking for packages or Christmas cards. People will send money, cash, cheques, or gift cards in the mail. Don’t send cash in the mail. It’s not secure.”
Kyle suggests knowing your postal carrier, schedule, and delivery times, and encourages daily pickups, so mail doesn’t pile up.
“If you try to follow these steps, it will make it harder for thieves. Taking precautions makes it harder to have property stolen and they might not target you.”
Oddly enough, Kyle said, many people don’t report a theft to police. They’re more apt to report it to the place they ordered an item. Some consumers may also be unaware their property is stolen.
“If you don’t have something in place, you won’t know if it’s been stolen or delivered to the wrong house. We encourage neighbours to look out for each other and report suspicious activity. If you see someone you don’t recognize, call your neighbour.
“Try to get a description of the person or their vehicle and licence plate. That’s always helpful. If you have a surveillance camera, let us know. And anyone can join our camera registry. We’re still taking applications.”
