Woburn Police Share Package Theft Prevention Tips For Holidays

WOBURN, MA — Woburn police shared tips Tuesday for preventing package theft when holiday shopping over the coming weeks.

"According to the National Neighborhood Watch, nearly one in four adults in the United States has reported having a package stolen at least once," the department said in a news release.

The police share the following tips from the National Neighborhood Watch:

• "Consider getting a P.O. box at your local post office or having packages delivered to your office.
• Set up notifications to track your packages.
• Install a security camera in the area(s) outside your home where packages may be delivered.
• Require a signature upon delivery to ensure packages are never left unattended.
• Reschedule delivery or ask for a package hold when on vacation.
• Schedule your delivery to be delivered to your office while you are at work.
• Research potential home security technology and locking device options to protect and monitor packages.
• Ask your neighbors to grab your packages for safekeeping until you return home.
• Sign up for the USPS “Informed Delivery” service, where you can get a daily email with a picture/scan of the mail you will receive that day. To sign up, click here."

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The department also shared instructions for residents who believe they are victims of package theft:

• "Confirm with your delivery company that your package was actually delivered
• Identify which package was stolen and what the contents of that package were
• Contact the police immediately and report your package as stolen
• If you have a security camera on your home, give a copy of the video to police
• Report the package theft to the applicable carrier:
• USPS
• UPS
• FedEx
• Amazon"

The police said residents who witness package theft should not approach the suspect.

"Instead, pay attention to what their vehicle looks like and its license plate number," the police said. "If possible, get a physical description of the suspect to share with the police."

What may look like package theft could be delivery, the department noted.

"Around the holidays, mail carriers such as Amazon and FedEx contract independent carriers to help deliver items during the peak season," the police said. "These independent carriers typically drive their own vehicles that have no affiliation markers. Residents should be mindful of these individuals who are oftentimes mistaken as thieves when dropping off packages on behalf of carriers or delivery companies."

Chief Robert Rufo also shared tips to holiday shoppers on avoiding incidents while shopping in stores and online:

• "As more people are on the road during the holiday season, be sure to drive carefully. Be patient when looking for a parking space. Do not speed up in a parking lot to catch an empty spot. Look for other cars or people when backing out of a parking space, and back out slowly.
• Keep shopping bags out of plain sight in your vehicle, preferably in your trunk.
• Keep your purse close to your body or your wallet in an inside coat pocket or front pants pocket.
• Save your receipts and monitor your credit card activity.
• When shopping online, stick to retailers you know or have shopped with before.
• Do not use public Wi-Fi to make purchases in order to prevent hackers from intercepting your information."

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.