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Protect Your Holiday Packages From 'Porch Piracy'

Mark Lennihan / AP
Holiday packages left on a doorstep.

If you're doing holiday shopping online, there are steps you can take to ensure you receive your merchandise.

According to a recent survey by the home security firm Ring, 20 percent of households have been a victim of package theft in the last year. The proliferation of e-commerce and the opioid epidemic have given rise to so-called "porch piracy." Albany Police spokesman Steve Smith:

"Have those packages delivered to a safe location, whether it be to a job or a family member. Or give specific instructions to the people delivering the package. Rather than have it put in front of your house, maybe you have a door in the back so they can walk around and place it behind the house so it's not visible from the street."

If you have a PO Box your post office can provide you with the street address equivalent, enabling you to pick up your packages AT the post office.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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