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Ten Tips to Protect Your Deliveries From Porch Pirates by Guardian Title Company

The holiday season is upon us. FedEx, the United States Postal Service (USPS), United Parcel Service (UPS) and other trucking and delivery companies are expected to deliver billions of packages and mail. The estimate for the post office is that it will deliver more than 900 million packages. Add in UPS and FedEx, and more than 2 billion packages will be shipped
between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. That’s a lot of packages – and a lot of opportunity for thieves, also known as porch pirates, to snatch packages left on porches or other visible places. Don’t let porch pirates ruin your holiday. Here are 10 ways to help prevent those packages from being stolen:

1. Ship to an Amazon Locker. There are 2,800 lockers located in more than 70 metropolitan areas in the U.S. They can be found in places like Whole Foods (owned by Amazon) and convenience stores. So, that’s tip No. 1. If you’re ordering from Amazon, and you don’t have a way to secure your deliveries,
send them to an Amazon Locker.
2. Ship to a FedEx Office. FedEx will hold packages at the local FedEx Office. With more than 1,900 locations, it offers a safe and convenient way to keep packages from being stolen.

3. Ship to the neighborhood grocery or drug store. If the 1,900 FedEx Office locations aren’t enough, there are another 11,000-plus locations that FedEx has partnered with including more than 8,900 Walgreens and Rite Aid locations and certain Albertsons and Kroger grocery stores.

4. Send the packages to your work address. This is an easy one. If the boss will let you receive personal packages, problem solved.

5. Send the packages to a friend. If you have friends or family who you know will be home, just use their address.

6. Have the packages delivered to the inside of your home. Amazon’s Key Smart Lock Kit allows you to remotely unlock your door so a package can be left safely inside your home. (Note: You must make the purchase from Amazon, but Amazon has just about everything!)

7. Have the packages delivered to your car. If it is more convenient, have your package delivered to your car. The car needs to be at the correct address and be equipped with Amazon’s Key in-Car Delivery. (Note: You must make the purchase from Amazon.)

8. Install an outdoor security camera. Check out products that will not only film but also send real-time alerts to your smartphone when the motion detector senses movement.

9. Keep your property well lit. Sometimes those porch pirates will wait until dark before they do the evil deeds. That security camera mentioned above should have lights that go on when motion is detected, but it’s still a good idea to keep your property well-lit with landscape lighting.

10. Make it look like you are home. This is good common sense, regardless of whether or not you’re expecting a package. Lights going on and off inside a home will help keep burglars from not only stealing what’s sitting on your porch, but also from breaking into your home. Whether it’s a timer, a
smart home app, or a security light that simulates a TV like Fake TV, the goal is to make it seem like someone is home.

Adapted from an article by
Shep Hyken on Forbes.com.

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