MONTGOMERY COUNTY — With just 10 weeks until Christmas, consumers are being warned about the rising threat of package thefts, as thieves, known as porch pirates, target deliveries across the country.
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According to Security.org, one in four Americans have fallen victim to package theft, and incidents surge by 40 percent in the week following major sales events like Prime Day.
“It’s a crime of opportunity,” said Gene Petrino, lead advisor for Security.org, who also has over 20 years of law enforcement experience. “And if someone sees a package available and no one’s watching it, the likelihood of it getting stolen are pretty high.”
Petrino said residents in apartment complexes are particularly vulnerable to package thefts due to the transient nature of these communities.
“Most of the time it’s, you know, apartment complexes are very transient communities. You don’t always know who your neighbor is, so you don’t know who belongs in a place and who doesn’t,” he explained.
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Security cameras are recommended as a deterrent, as they not only discourage thieves but also provide valuable evidence in the event of a theft.
“When you can capture the incident happening online, you know in real time, you have a better likelihood of identifying a suspect and sometimes even recovering the property that was stolen,” Petrino noted.
Petrino also emphasized the importance of reporting all package thefts to law enforcement, regardless of the value of the stolen item. “If we start looking out for each other, I think that we can also help reduce these rates,” he said.
Petrino said package thefts are often under reported and if you suspect your package was stolen you should contact law enforcement no matter how valuable or invaluable it is.
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