How to Stop Holiday Package Theft

More and more consumers are doing their holiday shopping online. This is convenient for those who would rather avoid the hustle and bustle of the shopping centers; but thieves are also taking advantage of this trend, stealing packages off of porches at an alarming rate.

Thankfully, there are many things you can do to protect against this growing trend. NBC just published an informative article to help consumers stop package theft, which peaks during the holiday season.

You can read the full article here, or check out the main points below:

The “Porch Pirate” Problem:

• Postal inspectors make nearly 10,000 arrests each year for mail theft
• Postal inspectors respond to more than 27,000 consumer fraud complaints each year including identity theft reports
• Holiday season package thefts are known as “porch pirating”
• 23 million Americans have had packages stolen from their doorsteps

FedEx/UPS recommendations:

• Request a signature for delivery
• Ship to an alternate location such as your workplace
• Have packages held at the carrier’s location for up to 5 days

For residents of New York, Chicago or San Francisco: Try the app Doorman, an on-demand delivery app for online shoppers.

If your package is stolen: You can file a claim online with USPS, FedEx or UPS.

Of course, if your packages are being delivered via USPS, a secure package mailbox can go along way in protecting small packages and parcels. You can check out the Mail Boss package mailbox models here.