PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pesky porch pirates are back with a vengeance, and they are particularly active during the week before Christmas, when the volume of home deliveries is highest. Here are some expert tips for keeping thieves away from your front door.
“A porch pirate is someone who sees a package on your porch, doesn’t see anybody around, and since they feel like they can get away with it, they go up on the porch and they grab the package,” said Carl Gould with 7 Stage Advisors in New Jersey.
“11% of people have reported that they have been a victim in some way of something like this.”
Gould, a business transformation expert, says he expects those numbers to go up this holiday season.
Not having some kind of security plan in place leaves holiday deliveries vulnerable, Gould adds.
“It would be like leaving your car unattended with the keys in it, or a shopping cart full of food right after you checked out sitting on the sidewalk at a supermarket,” he said.
Keeping the lights on, having a locker on your porch, or having your items delivered to your workplace are a few affordable ways to keep deliveries safe until they can be brought inside.
“If there is a camera, make people know there is a camera, or make sure it’s visible,” he said. “That way, people know they are being filmed and they can’t just walk in and walk out.”
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He also advises paying a little extra attention to your dog.
“If your dog is barking for some crazy reason at the door or by the window, get up and check it out, because there might be someone who should not be on the door.”
Gould says they expect these thieves to be more active this year than in recent years. “Last year we were in a COVID season, so people weren’t out and about like they normally would be,” he said.