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This year, 'porch pirates' have more opportunities than ever to steal

More people are ordering online due to the pandemic
Posted at 6:32 PM, Dec 07, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-07 21:07:08-05

COLORADO SPRINGS — This year in particular, it’s important for customers and business owners alike to be aware package thieves have more opportunities to strike.

“There are thieves out there… porch pirates,” said Colorado Springs Police Crime Prevention Officer Chris Ausec. “They look for people who have packages sitting in front of their front door, and they go up and try to steal them.”

It’s nothing new. These greedy grinches unfortunately operate year round. But this year, they’ve got more to work with.

“Due to this year being a COVID year, more people are going to be at home so they are going to be ordering more packages,” Ausec said.

So it’s time to go back over the basics.

“If you order anything online, you always want to make sure you have that tracking number,” he said.

Keep that in mind as you send off your gifts instead of handing them out in-person this year.

“If they order packages and they’re sending them to someone elsewhere, that they give that person the tracking number or at least let them know a date and a time,” he said.

If you’re not going to be home when it’s delivered, make this an excuse to get to know your neighbors.

“Say hey, I’m stuck at work I’m stuck in a traffic jam, can you go out and pick up my package for me and maybe I can pick it up later,” Ausec said.

Maybe you’re a small business owner, starting up online ordering for the first time this year.

“I think it’s a good Idea for the seller, since they’re usually gonna be the ones shipping it, once they get that tracking number and the company they’re shipping it through to provide that to the buyer,” he said.

This year, we’re giving these thieves of joy more opportunities to do just that.

“People who are going to steal packages… they just look for opportunities,” Ausec said.

But staying in the know, and keeping those around you in the know goes a long way in getting that thoughtful gift into the proper hands.