COLORADO SPRINGS – Folks in unmarked delivery vehicles might be bringing you your packages this year.
So how can you tell if they’re legit or up to no good?
If you’re looking for the right signs, it’s easy to spot the difference.
Chris Ware owns the postal annex in Colorado Springs.
“It’s very busy, very hectic,” she said.
Her store is helping send packages on their way.
“Ship with every shipper: Post Office, UPS, FedEx, DHL.”
And one service is putting them in the hand of ordinary drivers.
“There’s a new service called Amazon delivery. those are just contracted people, they come in just in regular clothes, they don’t have any kind of a uniform,” Ware described.
Colorado Springs Police are responding to calls from people who suspect they’re porch pirates.
“There’s […] a lot more activity out there so yes, we receive those types of calls and we appreciate those calls,” Lieutenant Howard Black with Colorado Springs Police said.
“Most of them are nothing, they’re individuals doing their job. However, just as we reported a couple of days ago, we had individuals that were out there stealing.”
The best way to spot the difference? Pay attention.
Black says you should ask yourself, “Is somebody going up to the house and coming back with packages or are they getting out of the truck or vehicle taking packages up?”
“The porch pirates are not going to have any uniform and neither are the contractors,” explained Ware.
“But a contractor’s gonna come up to your house with a box, they’re not going to take it away.”
And right now, every driver is important to help get all those packages delivered.
“Delivery guys are just honest guys trying to make a living,” she added.
“Late at night they’re gonna be out there driving and delivering.”
CSPD says if you do suspect there are porch pirates in your neighborhood, never confront them directly.
Instead, be a good witness by getting descriptive information and report it to police so they can check it out themselves.
