Iowa City Today

As the holiday season approaches and online shopping increases, so does the risk of package theft. To protect your packages and prevent thieves from taking them from your porch, follow these simple tips:

1. Use a secure delivery option: Many shipping companies now offer the option to require a signature upon delivery or to have your packages delivered to a secure location, such as a locked mailbox, parcel locker or retail location.
2. Provide delivery instructions: Often, you can leave instructions to drivers on where to leave packages, such as on the side of your home or behind or under something.
3. Reduce the time packages are outside: Track your package and collect it as soon as you get a notification delivery.
4. Have your packages delivered to your workplace: If possible, have your packages delivered to your workplace instead of your home. This can prevent thieves from stealing your packages and can also save you the hassle of having to pick them up from a shipping facility.
5. Put a temporary hold on deliveries: If you know you won’t be around for a while, tell delivery companies to hold your deliveries until you are.

If a package does go missing, make sure you document what happened, file a claim with the delivery service as soon as possible, and be as specific as you can.

Original source can be found here.