City Of Fort Worth: Online Shoppers: Beware Of Porch Pirates

Dallas TX

02 December, 2021

5:58 PM

Description

Press release from City of Fort Worth: December 02, 2021 As if supply chain shortages weren't enough to deal with this holiday season, now there's another problem – porch pirates. Porch pirates are people who steal packages delivered to homes. Some drive around neighborhoods looking for packages left at front doors. Others tail FedEx or UPS trucks, waiting for packages to be delivered. After the delivery truck drives away, they swoop in, pick up the package and drive away. "This will not be tolerated in Tarrant County," said Sharen Wilson, Tarrant County's criminal district attorney. "We will prosecute these thieves trying to cash in by stealing people's packages." This crime is a concern as online shopping continues to be increasingly popular with consumers. This way of shopping has grown in popularity through the years and swelled during the COVID pandemic, when people stayed home to try to slow the spread of the virus. Porch pirates capitalized on that, picking up packages that had been delivered but not retrieved. This crime is considered theft of mail. If the theft involves packages from less than 10 different addresses, it's a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. In Tarrant County, there were 69 of these cases in 2020 and 51 through October 2021. As online shopping gears up for the holidays, take precautions: If you are a victim: File a claim with the merchant and the shipper. If you have any evidence of the theft – especially if you have video footage – contact your local police department. Learn more tips in this video.      Get articles like this in your inbox. Subscribe to City News. This press release was produced by City of Fort Worth. The views expressed here are the author's own.