The holiday season is upon us. And that means a lot of giving and receiving gifts.
But those gifts do not always end up in the right hands.
We spoke with Ruby Russell, someone who had her package stolen by so-called “porch pirates.”
She said she had two Apple Watches stolen from her last year.
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“They were delivered to my porch around noon, and 15 seconds later, a car had pulled up right behind the delivery truck, and walked back to my porch, taking those items and driving off,” said Russell.
Russell was home at the time and feels like her family’s privacy was violated.
“We live in a society where you kind of get these items delivered the next day when this sort of thing happens,” she said.
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And it happens a lot. According to a recent CNET survey, one in six Americans have had a package stolen in the last year.
According to that CNET study, $76 billion in packages could be at risk of being stolen this holiday season.
So what can you do to prevent this from happening to you and your family?
Chief Alaric Fox, of the Enfield Police Department, said there are several ways to help keep your packages safe.
“Building relationships with your delivery people," said Fox. "Building relationships with your neighbors, so maybe they would keep an eye on the property or have it delivered to their property.”
Chief Fox encourages you to arrange a delivery when you're at home or even have it sent to your workplace.
He also said to get a home camera system if you think it is necessary.
But if all else fails, and you are a victim of theft, call the police.
“It is a difficult case to solve," said Fox. "We solve some cases we do not think we are going to. And unfortunately, we do not solve any cases if they are not reported to us.”
According to the CNET survey, over half of Americans plan to order a package that will be unattended anywhere from three hours to three days.
"It’s unfortunate," said Russell. "You can't just have items sitting on your porch for less than 30 seconds before someone feels they can take things that you've worked hard to purchase for you and your family."
