Porch pirates scoping New England homes ahead of holidays

The real Grinch this Christmas may be the porch pirate who steals your holiday presents directly off your doorstep.

A study by the insurance comparison site Insurify found 84% of Americans plan to shop online this year. It also found nearly 40% have previously been a victim of package theft – many more than once.

“The statistic that really stood out to me was that out of the people who plan to buy gifts on Black Friday, 31% have experienced package theft more than once a month,” said Insurify senior editor Chris Schafer. “That is a tremendously high volume of package theft.”

The Northeast is a hotspot, Schafer says.

“The numbers are actually a little worse in the Northeast,” Schafer says. “I think part of it is due to the frequency with which people purchase things online.”

But there may be a more alarming reason for concern.

“Our study found it really is more of an organized thing,” Schafer said. “Thieves kind of track Black Friday. They track the weeks before Christmas. They know when packages are coming, and they hit those times incredibly hard.”

Experts recommend any packages delivered to your home not be left in plain view of the street, and some delivery drivers will take the time to place a package out of site.  Doorbell cameras can help alert you to a package delivery, and possibly help identify a thief if your package is stolen.

If it happens to you, Schafer recommends filing a police report and contacting the retailer. Some retailers will replace or reimburse a stolen package. If they won’t, Schafer says you can go through your homeowner’s insurance so long as the package is worth more than your deductible.

“If you have a $1,000 deductible and a $250 package stolen from your porch, it isn’t worth it,” Schafer says. “Your better course of action is going back to the retailer, who in many cases will honor a stolen package.”

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