CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Are you waiting for Christmas gifts to be delivered? So are porch pirates.
This holiday season, instead of being on the lookout for Santa, keep an even closer eye out for some Grinches trying to steal your packages.
Debbie Kelley is a victim of porch pirates. She said she had her packages stolen for the first time in October since she moved into her neighborhood eight years ago.
“There wasn’t a car in the driveway it was like perfect access,” Kelley said.
Kelley’s ring camera caught a mailman walking up to her door to drop off a couple of packages.
“My husband had ordered some On Cloud tennis shoes, some vitamins. I also had a perfume he got me for my birthday and two custom made pillows that I had been waiting for for like two months,” Kelley said.
But shortly after the mailman left, a car followed. A porch pirate walked up to where the packages were left, took them, and drove off. And now, Kelley’s favorite hobby has turned into a chore.
“We have packages all the time. Now we watch everything like a hawk. If they get something they like they come back,” Kelley said.
She reported the theft to police, which neighbor George Viada, who’s also a porch pirate victim, said is the best thing to do.
“I ordered a package from Macys and it was delivered to my home and it was stolen. Those who steal them need to be arrested for that because that’s theft,” Viada said.
Senior Officer Jennifer Collier with CCPD said stealing from someones porch or mailbox is considered mail theft and is labeled as a Class A misdemeanor. If convicted, porch pirates could get up to a $4000 fine and/ or a year of jail time.
“Whenever more people are receiving packages at home, those numbers do go up. Mail can be anything from Amazon, UPS, Fedex,” Collier said.
For victims like Debbie, packages aren’t the only thing that they feel is taken from them.
“You feel violated. Then I was kind of mad. Like look at that person pulling in like they own the house grabbing the packages and putting them in their car and leaving,” Kelley said.
So this holiday season, be proactive. Talk to your mail carrier and ask them to hide packages. If you know you have a package coming soon, try to get home early or ask a trusted neighbor to keep an eye out. Stay vigilant and always report anything you find suspicious.
