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By: Doug Parisi, Director of Training, SafeDefend.com

With the holidays, come elevated package deliveries, and now more than ever- we’re seeing many fall victim to theft. It’s quite a troubling invasion of privacy considering such items are being stolen from doorsteps, but there are things you can do to safely assure protection of deliveries- and property.

1. Require a signature – If you’re worried about sending a gift to someone, the easiest thing to do is require it be delivered to a person at the house and require signature. That way nothing will be delivered without face-to-face receipt.
2. Schedule the delivery – Scheduled deliveries apply to both sending gifts and receiving packages.  Make sure delivery times work best for both the transit and recipient.
3. Ship to your work – Different company polices allow for employees to receive packages at work.
4. Ship to an at-home neighbor – if you have a neighbor that works from home, you can ask they receive the package for you. This is also a good option if you know you’ll be out of town.
5. Deliver to Apartment Management office – Check with your housing manager to see if they will accept deliveries so packages are not left in hallways or corridors
6. Turn on delivery alerts – Make sure you allow for notifications via phone or email that tells you when your package arrives. Retrieve the item or have a neighbor pick it up instead of letting it idle outside.
7. Change delivery location – Most carriers will deliver to the front porch unless you indicate a back door or side area. You can leave instructions where you want it placed.
8. Use your garage – If you have a coded garage door opener you can program in a temporary code and put this on the delivery instructions. Your package will be left inside.
9. Remotely open doors – You can hook up a device through an app that will remotely unlock/open the front/garage door when the shipper arrives at your house. The app lets you know the door has been secured.
10. Purchase a delivery locker – This is a lock box you can put outside that has a code to open. You include the instructions and code when you order the product. This way, packages are left in the secured lock box.
11. Purchase a ‘Smile! You’re on Camera’ sign for your yard. While this isn’t a fool-proof method, it does rank up there with the ‘Beware of Dog!’ signs that will make a person think twice.
12. Use your PO Box – While it could be an inconvenience having packages delivered to a 3^rd party mailbox (such as a PO Box), it’s also a safe play for making sure they arrive free from theft.
13. Monitor your home security system – Turn on cell phone notifications via your security devices- that way you know when there’s movement outside your home.
14. Finally, don’t make it easy. Thieves are always looking for an opportunity to steal packages left in the open.