'Porch Pirates' Beware: That Package You're Stealing Could Just Be Bait
DENVER (CBS4) - With the holidays approaching, online shoppers are placing their orders. Thieves know that and are already busy stealing packages from front porches.
Denver police posted surveillance videos on their Facebook page of thieves stealing packages right on the front step of homes just about everywhere. They say thieves better think twice as now some of those packages might just be bait.
"My wife was actually pulling into the garage at the exact moment that the guy was on the porch taking the packages," homeowner John Roesink said.
To combat the brazen crime some homeowners are arming themselves with home security cameras, while Denver police officers are luring thieves with bait boxes.
"If a thief approaches a package it might also be a package we're also watching," Denver police spokesman Doug Schepman said.
Schepman says to ensure the success of that program they're keeping the details on how those boxes are tracked to themselves.
With more than 29 million Americans falling victim to porch pirates last year alone, they're not the only department using the bait tactic.
"Our packages, we deploy them across the city. They contain GPS tracking devices in them," Jesus Arambula with the Rancho Cordova Police Department in California said.
But police in Denver say the best protection is still prevention. Homeowners who plan to shop online or have gifts delivered should plan for any circumstance.
"Have packages shipped to their workplace, or a family member or trusted friend or neighbor who is more likely to be home when that package arrives," Schepman said. "There are shipping options that help."
Also track a package to make sure you are home when its delivered or require a signature so if you can't be there it isn't left on you're the doorstep.
