Porch pirates. Brown box bandits. Package thieves.
Whatever term you choose to use – many area residents have recently been victims of this growing crime trend.
The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department said deputies are investigating a series of package thefts that have been occurring throughout the county.
The department has posted several photos recently of suspected package thieves that were captured on doorbell or security cameras and asked for the public’s help identifying them.
Department officials said installing video doorbells or other video security devices is a good start to protecting yourself from potential theft and can provide valuable information for law enforcement when a theft does occur.
When possible, tracking your packages and knowing when a delivery is expected so a trusted neighbor or family member can secure it will also reduce the chances a package will be stolen, they said.
United States Postal Service (USPS) communications representative Susan Wright said it is important to not leave packages unattended for an extended period of time.
“Just as wallets and purses shouldn’t be left on the front seat of an unlocked car overnight – mail and packages shouldn’t be left uncollected in mailboxes or on front porches for any length of time.”
Wright also reminded the USPS has a Hold Mail service if you plan to be away from home for a few days. Your mail and packages will be held at the post office while you are gone.
Of course, the best way to prevent package theft is for the package to not be there to begin with.
When shipping USPS, you can choose the Hold for Pickup option so the package will be held at the recipient’s local post office and you can redirect incoming packages to your local post office by selecting Hold for Pickup using USPS Package Intercept.
If you have the tracking number for your package, you can also enter it at usps.com and select delivery instructions to direct your carrier to leave the package in a specific location.
Other package carriers such as FedEx and UPS also have delivery instruction options and other secure package delivery methods.
Many retailers with local brick-and-mortar locations offer free shipping to the store where you can then physically pick up the package.
Chief Deputy Mark Ralston pointed out that even packages from Amazon can be delivered to an Amazon Hub Locker at the Gabes store, 6500 Mall Road in Westover.
You can add a Hub Locker location to your shipping addresses in Amazon and the package will be delivered there to a secure location. When your package arrives there, Amazon sends you a delivery confirmation email with instructions on how to pick up the package.
Ralston said another option for securing deliveries are porch lock boxes, which can be purchased — some for less than $100.
Area resident Molly Parrish recently found out that knowing the contents of your package – and a little detective work – can raise your chances of recovering stolen packages that may be of high value.
Parrish said two men recently stole several packages containing flooring that had been delivered to a home she and her husband are building in the Tyrone Road/Snake Hill Road area – where she said other residents have also been victims to package theft.
Parrish was able to collect information on the thieves and prove it was the same flooring after finding it for sale online.
“I think ‘hold on a sec,’ because who would steal flooring? No one needs flooring – you’d wanna sell that,” she said. “I look on Marketplace – type in flooring – lo and behold, it’s there!”
Parrish was able to take a screenshot of the listing, which included the seller’s name, phone number and approximate location and then was able to confirm with the flooring company that it was, in fact, the same flooring.
An online background check helped her find the address of the person who had posted it for sale and Parrish sent all her findings to the police and insurance company, and arrests were made.
While Parrish’s case may be different from your average Amazon box, it shows that no package, large or small, is safe from would-be thieves – and that a quick internet search could help recover missing items.
“I suggest looking on Marketplace or a resale site for an item,” said Parrish. “Especially if it’s something ornate or recognizable.”
USPS said if a customer believes they have been a victim of mail theft they should file a report with local law enforcement. You can also find more information about package theft by visiting the United States Postal Inspection Service website at uspis.gov.
If you have a package stolen or have information about recent package thefts, contact the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department at 304-291-7260 or the United States Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455.
