By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
It might well be the most wonderful time of the year, but it also is the most opportunistic time of the year for thieves.
And while some crime is beyond your control, some is not.
St. Joseph Crime Prevention Sergeant Roy Hoskins says there are steps you can take to keep from being ripped off.
“People don’t realize that you can schedule deliveries for specific times,” Hoskins tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “You can have them sent to an alternate location; if you have a workplace where you can have them sent there. You can track them. I know on some of them, UPS specifically, they’ll notify you when it’s on the way and you can look on the app and actually see the truck as it’s driving to your house.”
Hoskins says you can put a lock box on your porch or you can give one-time access to delivery personnel, allowing them to place packages in the garage.
A package left on a porch can attract the attention of thieves, according to Hoskins.
“People are opportunistic in their crimes,” according to Hoskins. “Not very many people plan on coming to your house, but if they happen to be trolling around, looking for that type of thing, and they see one dropped off or they see it out in plain sight, that’s definitely going to be enticing.”
Hoskins says doorbell cameras do help, not just in chasing thieves from a porch, but in providing valuable evidence to police for their investigation.
Hoskins cautions residents to also be on the lookout for scams.
“What I’m hearing a lot the last couple of days is Apple Support. A lady got 18 calls yesterday morning and some of them were Apple Support,” Hoskins says, adding that scams come in trends and the Apple Support seems to be the latest trend.
He says the best thing to do is to hang up and cut off the conversation. Never give personal information over the phone.
St. Joseph police also will help. If you give them a call, an officer will review problem spots around your home and the best places to mount security cameras.