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.
