SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Amazon's Prime Day is over and your orders — if you ordered with two-day shipping — are probably arriving Thursday or Friday.
That means you'll want to be on the lookout for porch pirates. If you’re feeling concerned about your packages being stolen, you’re not alone.
A recent survey by PCMag found that 52% of Californians are worried about package theft in the wake of Prime Day. To add to your concerns, a 2018 analysis by Shorr Packaging found that Sacramento is one of the top 10 cities in the U.S. for Amazon package theft.
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So, what can you do to prevent porch pirates from looting your new Amazon purchases? Some of the most common things people are doing these days are working from home or rerouting their deliveries to a safer location. But those aren't always options, so here are some other recommendations through Amazon you might want to look into.
Amazon Key:
If you're comfortable with a delivery person waltzing into your home, car or garage and leaving your delivery inside while you're away, check out Amazon Key. You’ll receive notifications about pending deliveries via the Amazon Key app, and can let the delivery person inside (or lock them out) from your phone.
Amazon Locker:
If you'd rather not have a stranger in your home (We understand.), try Amazon Locker. It’s a safe place to store Amazon packages until you can pick them up. There are more than 2,800 Amazon Lockers in more than 70 cities in the country. Most of them are inside convenience stores, gyms or supermarkets, and you can ship items to them for free.
Install an outdoor security camera:
Another way to deter thieves — or catch them in the act — is to install an outdoor security camera. We're certainly not here to tell you what to buy, so we'll let the experts. We hear Ring Doorbells work well, though. Or at least that's what the Modesto Police Department told us before.
Doorman app:
Try the Doorman app. If deliveries tend to arrive when you're not home, you can schedule them to come at a more convenient time. You send your package to one of the company's secure warehouses, and then use the Doorman app to schedule a convenient delivery time.
Other suggestions:
- Have a neighbor collect it.
- Require a signature on deliveries and insure your packages if possible.
- Have your package delivered to you at work, so you can accept it immediately.
You should also remember to always report suspicious vehicles or people in your neighborhood right away.
Follow the conversation on Facebook with Carlos Herrera.