Action 9 offers tips to prevent thieves from stealing packages off porches

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With the arrival of Cyber Monday, it’s important for people to watch out for thieves stealing packages right off their doorstep.

James Miller lives in north Charlotte, where a thief swiped boxes from his doorstep while his cameras were rolling.

"It's a very push-button topic for me," Miller told Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke. "There's people that just do not respect your property. Some of them have the mentality: if you don't have it chained down, clearly you don't want it."

Miller installed more cameras, including a doorbell one, and made a cardboard blind to hide packages behind. It's the same color as his house, and he puts it next to his front door so delivery people can slip packages between it and the house. From a distance, it does the trick.

Plus, Miller now works for Amazon, so he doesn't just get deliveries -- he makes them, too.

"I know exactly what it's like to go through, so I don't want that to happen to anybody else," he said.

Channel 9 checked with FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service. All three allow people to:

• Deliver somewhere other than their home (like work or a neighbor's house)
• Redirect a package, even while it's in transit
• Give special delivery instructions (like, "Leave the package behind the bushes or next to the garage.")

Amazon offers lockers where people can pick up their packages, and there are 20 locations in the Charlotte area.

If a person thinks someone stole their package, they should contact the shipper and file a police report. It's a felony that carries up to five years behind bars and up to $250,000 in fines.

Cox Media Group