YORK, Pa. — With the holiday season soon approaching and some already doing their holiday shopping, that means it’s time to protect yourself from porch pirates.
“This year you still have folks, you know, not being as employed as they want...These shipping issues are gonna, I think add to it. So unfortunately, I don’t think there’s any reason to think it’s going to lessen," said Christopher Raubenstine from the Silver Spring Township Police Department.
Ana Beatriz Fuentes came home about a month ago and says her packages and mail were scattered all over her front porch.
“It’s just opened everywhere, all over my front door.. Like, they completely opened my packaging to the contents and they stole half of my package. It was a phone charger and then a phone case. So, since they couldn’t use the phone case, they left that there, but they took my phone charger," explained Fuentes.
Officials say the best tips to avoid your packages from being stolen include trying to schedule your deliveries.
"A lot of the online gives you those options. Pick a time that you know you’re going to be there," said Raubenstine.
They say if you can, ask delivery drivers to keep your boxes out of sight from the road.
“Most of these are people driving by, and seeing them. It's a crime of opportunity, they see the boxes sitting there and stop and get out," said Raubenstine.
If you're able, you can let a neighbor know about a package being delivered.
“If you have a close relationship with a trusted neighbor, you can tell them when a package has arrived and maybe they can get that for you," said Captain Jason Reber from the Susquehanna Township Police Department.
Finally, many are using technology like cameras to deter porch pirates.
“We encourage all of our customers to take advantage of all the technology we have that’s out there to try and cut down on that sort of activity," said Steve Kelly from Amazon.
Officials also recommend requiring a signature for all home delivery packages.