ATLANTA — As the Christmas holiday shopping season ramps up, police in Atlanta and Marietta, the national neighborhood watch and cybersecurity officials issued tips and precautions that Georgians can take during the holiday season.
According to the FBI, more than 12,000 people say they were victims of holiday shopping scams in 2022 which resulted in more than $73 million in losses for consumers.
According to Officer A. Fix in the Public Affairs Unit of the Atlanta Police Department, there are many thieves and scammers who may try to take advantage of residents ordering packages during the holiday season.
Fix says to avoid potential package thefts, consider buying a porch lockbox. There are many companies that have lockboxes specifically designed for receiving packages.
“When you order an item online, you’ll give instructions for the delivery driver to open your porch lockbox. Some porch lockboxes have a slot for delivery drivers to drop small items, however, they do require a key to open,” Fix said.
Getting packages delivered to Amazon Lockers is also a helpful tip. While you can’t always control when a package will be delivered or whether you’ll be home to retrieve it, there are options to change the delivery location to ensure the safety of your package.
“Amazon offers a delivery option called Amazon Locker. The company has lockers at various locations,” Fix said. “Rather than having a package delivered to your front door, you can choose to have it delivered to a nearby locker. You’ll receive a notification when your package is delivered, just as you normally would. When you get to the locker, use the code that Amazon sends you, which will trigger the opening of the locker.”
If you’re unable to be home during an expected delivery, you can ask a relative, friend or neighbor to keep an eye out for the delivery.
Installing a video doorbell can also help prevent potential thefts. “When someone rings the doorbell, you can see a live video feed and hear what your visitor is saying. The camera also allows for two-way audio, meaning you can talk to whomever is on your porch. Having a doorbell security camera can benefit you in a few ways,” Fix said.
Burglars and thieves tend to be discouraged by security alarms, Fix says.
“Someone thinking of stealing your package might see the security camera and think again. In addition to deterrence, many of these video doorbells come with motion sensors and a notification system, which sends an alert when someone is on your front porch.
Fix said that you can provide helpful instructions to delivery drivers, such as tucking the box behind a particular post or plant, or, in a place that is hidden away from porch pirates. It is also key to make it obvious to everyone that you have a functioning home security system.
“Your home may be less likely to be the subject of a theft if it’s clear that you have a home security system of some kind,” he said. “Obvious signs such as security cameras on the exterior of your home and or signs to place on the front yard can be a deterrent to protentional porch pirates.”
Chuck McPhilamy, Public Information Officer for the Marietta Police Department, says there will be more people shopping online this year.
“Every year, the number of people shopping online increases,” said McPhilamy. “The question is how are those packages going to be delivered in a timely manner at a moment where we all want convenience. Convenience is drop it on my door step.”
Fix also says it is important to track your packages.
“The simplest way to avoid porch pirates is to use this tracking information to quickly retrieve your package once it’s been delivered,” he said.
“The Marietta Police Department makes it their standard practice to increase our patrols, work with our social media accounts, and post tips,” McPhilamy said.
McPhilamy says proper lighting around your home and maintaining where your packages are shipped to could help to reduce the risk of becoming a target for potential burglaries.
“Proper lighting on your home will reduce the risk of having people snooping through your yard or walking into your yard and peaking into your windows,” McPhilamy said. “Ironically, the phrase window shopping is just as accurate for a would be criminal that could see your house and be able to walk up and see your Christmas tree with all of the packages wrapped underneath it. The idea would be if you have lighting and have maintained the plant life and vegetation around the windows of your home so that you don’t create a space for people to hide and watch, then you are reducing the opportunity for that criminal to walk up to your house unnoticed.”
Another helpful tip that McPhilamy offered is being cautious of where you park if you shop at multiple locations.
“If possible, place what you buy in your trunk where they it is not visible. Then if possible, move your car so that it has the appearance that you have left the parking lot. If you park in the same spot and continue taking packages out and putting them in your car, a person who may or may not have intentions of committing a crime could be watching and could be tempted and consider breaking into your car.”
Having situational awareness is key, McPhilamy said.
“While you are leaving a store, consider having your car keys in your hands and everything situated with your phone put away and your packages in hand before you walk out of a store,” he said. “Many of us will be out shopping after dark. Walking out to your car in a parking lot, especially if it is not well lit and then fumble at your car while your attention is where your car keys are. While you’re fumbling your keys, you are giving your attention to that and losing the attention of what could be around you. Watch to make sure that someone is not going to come out and simply snatch the packages right out of your hands and take off running.”
Other helpful tips include being cautious of having brightly-lit Christmas trees that may be on display in your windows.
“Many people love to display their beautiful brightly-lit Christmas trees with presents around the skirt. If visible through a window or doorway, this can be tempting for burglars scouting the neighborhood,” the Marietta Police Department said. “Consider hiding the presents in a secure place and placing them under the tree at the last minute, or rearranging furniture to block the view of gifts from outside your home.”
McPhilamy added it is important for residents who wish to hire companies to hang holiday lights on their homes to do their research first.
“You’re talking about allowing someone access to your property where they can lean a ladder up against and look in every one of your windows,” he said.
He says from the average home owners’ perspective, “you don’t want to write a check and forget about it because that would mean you are turning a blind eye to that individual while they are there looking at your property. If you want to hire someone to do that, consider looking at all of the reviews. Consider asking your friends if they know someone that they trust that you could hire. I would look at the Better Business Bureau’s ratings of that company. I would also ask them if they are licensed and insured. While the average person would say the cheaper bid is always more attractive, what happens if that individual sues you because they got hurt on your property? I would caution against going for the cheapest quote and instead, make sure that company has a good reputation, that they are trusted, they have good reviews, and they are licensed and insured which would protect you as the homeowner.”
Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Jen Easterly says consumers should also be aware of potential online shopping scams.
“Think before you click,” Easterly said. “You’re going to get a ton of emails with click share for this deal or don’t miss out on this deal. Scammers are trying to get you to download links or go to websites so they can steal your data and go into your accounts.”
Informed delivery is a good free feature that everyone should take advantage of, McPhilamy added.
“We have read cases of times where individuals would try to set up a new credit card in your name,” McPhilamy said. “If you have not signed up for informed delivery, that criminal can sign up for it. They automatically have the email coming every day. They know when the new credit card will come in the mail and they can strategically plan on what day, what time they’re going to come to remove that from your mailbox.”
Shopping Tips:
- Carry your purse close to your body and stow your wallet inside a zippered pocket.
- Sign up for USPS informed delivery to monitor and track packages and gift cards being mailed to you.
- Keep your car key handy and lock your doors as soon as you get inside your vehicle. DO NOT keep a spare key fob or keys in your vehicle.
- Park close to your destination, in a well-lit area and lock packages in the trunk of your car, out of sight.
- Be aware of your surroundings.
- Pay by credit card, rather than check/debit card, to reduce the risk of funds being taken from your bank account. Keep all receipts and compare them to your monthly statements. Avoid being overcharged; review your receipt if you pay by debit, to ensure that the transaction is correct.
- Shop online with known businesses. Avoid shopping online through pop-up ads as they may be phishing scams or contain malware.
- Stay vigilant this holiday season. Be aware of your surroundings: If You See Something, Say Something.
According to the National Neighborhood Watch, “a Security.org survey noted that 49 millions Americans (nearly 19%) have had at least one package stolen in the past twelve months.”
The National Neighborhood Watch offered helpful tips on what to do if you are a victim of a porch pirate.
What to do if you’ve become a victim of a porch pirate:
- Check with your delivery company to make sure your package was actually delivered.
- Know exactly what’s in the missing box.
- If you see the thief, pay attention to what his or her vehicle looks like and its license plate number. Second to that, get the thief’s physical description – gender, approximate height and weight and what they’re wearing – so you can tell an officer.
- Call 911 and ask for an officer to come to your home.
- If you have a security camera on your home, get a copy of the video to police. Ask your neighbors if their cameras captured the thief in action.
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