Emily Dovi came home from work on the evening Nov. 18 expecting to see a six-foot box containing a partially decorated Christmas tree on her Logan Square doorstep.
But the artificial tree, an online purchase from eBay, and its unmistakably tall packaging, were nowhere to be found, she said.
Dovi, 29, said she suspected the package had been swiped. She reported the missing tree to eBay, which reimbursed her, but did not report it to police because she assumed there was nothing they could do, she said.
"I was stunned and pretty grouchy about it," she said. "I am a Brooklyn girl, and grew up without a doorbell, and have never, ever had any packages stolen. [This] has made me leery of any and all deliveries."
As holiday season gift-giving-and with it online shopping deals-kick into high gear, the threat of package thefts looms, police and delivery companies warn. This time of year, apartment building foyers and the front porches of homes are like a candy stores for thieves, who pluck boxes of everything from pricey clothes to electronics.
So far this month the Chicago police have arrested at least five people in package theft cases, according to police. In Logan Square, police officers said they saw a man and a woman removing "numerous" items from a package delivered to a home in the 1600 block of North Wood Street. In another case, police accused two men of swiping packages from a Roscoe Village porch.
The Chicago Police Department does not keep data tracking the rate of package thefts separately from other kinds of theft, according to authorities. But anecdotally, postal service workers have noticed an uptick in reports of package thefts around the holidays, and throughout the year, as more people do more of their shopping online.
"I know that we've seen it in recent years as the growth in package volume during the holiday times has increased quite a bit," said Mark Reynolds, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service.
Postal Service customers can sign up for a new service that alerts them when packages are being delivered, Reynolds said. And if they suspect foul play, customers can call the postal inspection service at 877-876-2455.
FedEx has a similar service, according to Tim Miller, a spokesman for FedEx, which also allows customers to set rules for the delivery of their packages, i.e. not dropping anything off without a signature. He also recommends people send packages to an alternate destination if they know they won't be home, like an office, or the address of a neighbor who is home during the day.
"So now, I ordered a ton of stuff for Christmas, and I'm just really worried about not getting my packages," she said. "What I've been doing since is, if I order something online, if the website has a box for special instructions I always say, 'This is an apartment building, so please leave it inside.'"
The Chicago Police Department has several tips for preventing package thefts:
- Tell the delivery service you want to sign for your packages when they're delivered.
- Schedule delivery for a day when you can be home to receive it.
- Send your packages to your office or to a mail pickup station instead of your home.
- Never let anyone you don't know into your building.
- When ordering from a store, arrange to pick up the item in the store, rather than having it delivered to your home.
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