How to protect yourself from thieves this holiday season

Author: Esly Davis
Published: Updated:

On Cyber Monday, Americans spent $13 billion, which will translate into many packages on doorsteps this holiday season.

WINK News reporter Esly Davis has tips for keeping porch pirates from stealing your holiday cheer.

At least once, porch pirates have targeted a Lehigh Acres neighborhood, and now neighbors are taking action to prevent them from becoming the next victims.

Darwin Espinoza is a Lehigh Acres resident who fears that people might have their gifts stolen this holiday season.

“It’s pretty scary out here just knowing that packages you’re buying for your loved ones could be stolen from someone who just wants to do mal in the world,” said Espinoza.

Espinoza lives a few houses down from where a porch pirate was caught on camera stealing earlier this week. Now, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office is on the hunt for this suspect.

“We’ve been protecting our packages a little more,” said Espinoza. “We have been watching a little better, just to make sure. Like, a UPS truck just came not that long ago, and I came home specifically for that.”

Inside that package was his sister’s Christmas gift, but Espinoza has his own way of fighting back against these grinches during the holidays.

“Let your dog out,” said Espinoza. “Let them go in the window, bark at them, scare them away.”

Trish Routte is a Crime Stoppers manager. She said that these crimes come with real consequences.

“A $1,000 iPhone, that’s a felony charge right there,” said Routte. “Law enforcement can go out and do what they do and put them in jail for the holidays.”

To protect your packages this holiday season, install a visible camera to deter porch pirates. Instead of delivering packages to your home, have packages delivered to your workplace, the post office or Amazon lockers.

You can also, team up with neighbors to hold deliveries. Track your packages and set up text alerts to stay ahead of thieves.

Because, after all, ’tis the season for porch pirates.

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