Lancaster Sheriff’s Station warns residents of package thefts

LANCASTER – As the holidays approach, Lancaster Sheriff’s detectives are warning residents of package thefts.

“Package thieves are hard at work during the holiday season. They can drive through a neighborhood, see packages sitting on front porches and know they won’t be touched for hours,” reads a news release from the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station. “With online shopping being so convenient, thieves know those packages will contain some valuable items for them to be enticed by.”

The Lancaster Sheriff’s Station offers the following tips to protect your deliveries:

— If your work place allows it, have your packages delivered to your office.

— Use pick up points such as Amazon Locker or UPS Access Point Network to pick up your packages from a secured location.

— If you are going to be receiving a lot of deliveries, use a temporary PO Box. Double check as some delivery services such as UPS and FedEX will not delivery to PO Box address, but USPS will.

— Use a trusted neighbor’s address as your delivery address. Make friends with your neighbors. If a neighbor is home all day because they are working from home or a stay at home parent, maybe they can accept your items for you in exchange for you picking up milk and bread for them on your way home. We’re all in this together, so think of some way to help each other out.

— Use a wireless home monitoring system with a camera that allows you to see your porch. Not only will you be notified when someone is near your porch, you will also capture potential thieves on camera.

— Request a tracking confirmation number and monitor it! You can even opt-in for text or email updates so you are notified when your package is delivered. It may give you a chance to run home during your lunch break to pick up your package and secure it inside your home.

— Use the “ship to store” option as often as you can. Many stores allow you to shop online then pick up from their store. With COVID practices in place, many retailers will even do curbside pickup and bring your packages to your car.

Residents should report anyone lingering around local front porches by calling the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station at 661-948-8466.

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