Focus at Four: Security expert offers tips to protect against porch pirates
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Amazon’s Prime Days ends after Wednesday, and thousands of packages will be shipped out following the 2-day sale all across the Brazos Valley and beyond. However, it’s not just expecting customers who will be on the lookout for those deliveries.
Security experts at Security.org have been researching package thefts, or porch piracy, over the last several years.
“Package theft is a really big problem, and it’s one that’s a little bit difficult to track,” said Senior Editor of Industry Research at Security.org, Corie Wagner. “Since [the COVID-19 pandemic began] in all of the research that we’ve done, more than half of the American’s we’ve studied — which is tens of thousands of people — have been a victim of porch piracy.”
Wagner said there are some easy steps to help protect against becoming a statistic. The most important step, according to that expert, is removing opportunities for potential thieves.
Customers can schedule deliveries by choosing what day packages are delivered.
“Maybe have them delivered to work, or to a mailroom, or to a trusted friend’s house,” suggested Wagner. “Another thing you can do is have your items delivered to a secure access point, so an Amazon locker, or other places where Amazon might have partnerships.”
The good news is Bryan-College Station has five Amazon locker locations. You can follow this link to find your preferred location.
If you do fall victim to porch pirates, Wagner urged customers to report the missing package to either the company you ordered from, or the company that made the delivery.
“These are important steps because you’re going to be able to, in some cases, get your money back or get your item replaced,” Wagner added.
You can find the research and other helpful tips from Security.org here.
