Concerns rise following Black Friday and Cyber Monday package thefts

LONGMEADOW, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us. In the coming days, many shoppers will see their purchases show up at their door, or not, with package thefts common this time of year.

It’s that time of year, the holidays are always busy for everyone including “Porch Pirates.”

Longmeadow Police Captain Carl Mazzaferro said making sure you get your holiday deliveries is as easy as clicking “add to cart.”

The holidays are always a busy time for shoppers and delivery drivers, but not all packages make it past the doorstep.

Jayden Rodriguez of Westfield experienced this firsthand.

“This summer I got a pair of sweatpants stolen off the porch Amazon sent the picture they got delivered I got home there was nothing there none of my neighbors had it it wasn’t delivered to the wrong address,” expressed Rodriguez.

He won’t be the last... police said taking packages off of people’s porches is a crime of opportunity.

According to Capital One Shopping, there were 260 million package thefts in 2022, or about 1 in every 100 package deliveries. It’s especially common this time of year.

“Traditionally during the holiday season you do see an influx of packages and sporadic we will see sometimes throughout the holiday season missing packages from peoples porches,” explained Capt. Mazzaferro.

Captain Mazzaferro with the Longmeadow Police Department said they haven’t received any calls on this yet, but it’s still early in the holiday season. Giving shoppers time to prepare to receive and keep their deliveries. He also shared some tips on how you can protect yourself from “Porch Pirates.”

“If you know you’re getting a package, make sure you’re tracking that package if possible,” advised Capt. Mazzaferro. “Require a signature for your package, that’s another option.”

Mazzaferro told Western Mass News there’s other ways to retrieve your orders too like picking it up at the store or seeing if your delivery service has an option to put packages in a locker. If you still want the convenience of traditional delivery, a surveillance camera for your porch is something to add to your holiday shopping.

“You’re gonna find those cameras much cheaper than you would during the rest of the season,” added Capt. Mazzaferro.

Rodriguez also shared this advice with other shoppers.

“Don’t leave anything on your porch, too long like if you see its delivered don’t leave it out there,” said Rodriguez.

If a delivery is stolen from your property, Captain Mazzaferro said to call your local police department.