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Putting porch pirates to a stop before they get to your door

Doorbell cameras catch porch pirates in action, but there are even more ways to stop your delivered items from getting stolen.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — It’s the season for thieves to prey on delivered packages, but there are new ways to stop and protect your goods.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Executive Director of Professional Sales Program said it’s happening more and more.

“It’s growing because most of retail sales now, especially around Christmas time, are done online,” Lenita Davis said.

The solution might not be as simple as you think.

“Even though you may have Ring and video cameras, I mean, all you really record is people stealing packages off your porch, right?” Davis said.

So, what do you do to stop thieves from swiping your packages?

She said there are several options.

“I think this is why Amazon came up with the locker system where you can have your packages sent to the locker and pick ‘em up at Whole Foods," Davis said. "People are also starting to send their packages to work. People are using the video cameras so when they see a package delivered, have a neighbor pick them up.”

More options:

  • Send a package and require a signature upon delivery
  • Set your preferred UPS access point location, UPS is offering up to $15 in target e-gift cards
  • Keep tabs on the tracking location

“You can anticipate when it’s going to arrive,” Davis said.

Discouraging thieves is important because a refund isn’t always an option.

“A lot of people you buy products from, once they send that tracking number and show that it’s been delivered to your door, that’s it. If it got stolen, you’re out of luck,” Davis said.

If you have a video monitoring app, it’s always a good idea to monitor it, so you know what’s going on in your neighborhood.

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