Parcel Theft & What You Can do to Avoid It

top-5-ways-to-avoid-parcel-theft

Click and collect means that you will be able to pick up your delivery at your convenience. You also know that that parcel is going to be safe and secure until you receive it.

MIAMI (PRWEB)
April 20, 2022

Parcel theft has become increasingly more common since the pandemic. More and more people are turning to online solutions for their shopping. You don’t have to be a victim of this heartless crime. Here are a few top tips to increase the security of your porch and your parcels.

• 
  Consider Where to Send your Parcels:

You don’t have to send them directly to your home. If no one is going to be in your home to receive it, consider sending the parcel to your work address, or the address of a family member who will be at home.

As parcel theft becomes a bigger issue many companies are turning to ways to combat it. The market has a variety of parcel boxes available. Some that look like plants, some that are bolted to your porch and wall, and some with durable smart locks designed to give you and the delivery driver access but no one else.

Having one of these installed on your porch will protect many of your parcels. However, the size of parcels you can then protect will depend on the size of your parcel lockbox. Bigger parcels can still be at risk.

• The Delivery Instructions are There to Help:

You can arrange for the parcel to be placed somewhere safe. For instance, if you have a lockable box built into your porch with a code, the delivery instructions can include the code for your delivery driver to place your parcel safely. Other instructions might be to leave it with a neighbor you trust, leave hidden by the back gate, out of view, or place it behind a rather large plant pot.

Be warned, however, that if your parcel goes awry and you have left the delivery driver instructions to place it somewhere, like near your back gate, it can be hard to claim anything back. After all, the driver has followed your instructions and the parcel was delivered. Most services will warn you that special instructions such as these are left at your own risk.

This option enables you to order online as usual, but you will have to do a bit of extra work to get your parcel. For example, if you order an item from Chico’s and arrange for a click and collect, you will have to go to the named Chico’s store to pick it up. This is great for items that are out of stock at the local but available online.

Click and collect means that you will be able to pick up your delivery at your convenience. You also know that that parcel is going to be safe and secure until you receive it.

A video doorbell provides extra security for your home. It records activity that comes near your door, alerts you if someone is at your door, and some brands allow you to have conversations with people at your door.

These things can deter parcel thieves as they don’t want to be recorded. Such footage can be used to catch and convict the thief.

Get to know who is living on either side of you and exchange phone numbers. Then, once you have a parcel coming, get the tracking number. The moment it has been delivered, if no one is home you can call on one of your neighbors to grab that parcel for you.

Always offer to do this for them as well. In this way, the community comes together to help each other out and put a stop to the porch pirates.

Wherever possible it is a good idea to have your parcel need a signature. This option means that the parcel needs to be delivered into your hands or the hands of someone you trust. The delivery person needs you to sign for the parcel, so it cannot be left on the doorstep.

• Increase your Porch Security:

Parcel theft is becoming more and more common. By making good use of smart technology, you can really start to fight back. Smart doorbells are good as a preventative, and they also help catch any parcel thieves in action. However, there are other options to help you take your security up a notch.

A Smart lock can be used to your advantage in two ways. One way is to give your delivery driver a code so he can open your front door and place the parcel inside. This code can be set to only work once. Alternatively, it can be deleted as soon as you have your parcel.

The other benefit of a smart lock is that it can keep an eye on your parcel for you. Like Smart Doorbells, smart locks can have cameras.

A CCTV system that connects to your phone or other apps. Some Smart CCTV technology can even be used to set off alarms or alert the police to criminal activity at your home.

• Motion Detectors and Lighting:

The last thing a thief needs when trying to sneak around is a light turning on and showing their face to the camera. Having motion sensors in place can light up an area allowing your cameras to get a clear view of your porch pirate, they can also set off alarms to alert the neighborhood that there are parcel thieves about.

Ask the Experts:

At Quickly Locksmiths in Miami, we have a dedicated team that has become the go-to people for all things related to locks and security. We can help you to make your porch a more secure area. You can reach us at (305) 984-9922 or by using the contact us form on our contact page.

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