Know how to keep mail deliveries safe when vacationing

Crooks tail postal trucks, police say

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Detectives in Coral Springs are still on the lookout for a woman seen clearly in surveillance video swiping packages from front porches of houses in May. As the summer heats up, she might have company.

Next to the Christmas holiday season, when thieves seem to come out of the woodwork to steal gifts, police said summer is prime time for crooks to steal deliveries.

"The summertime is when most people are gone on vacations, and you have a limited amount of human activity outside because the weather is so hot," said Coral Springs Officer Glenn Roberts. "And if nobody appears to be home at the time, it's easy for them to walk up and actually just take the package and leave."

The trend is for crooks to tail postal trucks and UPS vans and follow them into neighborhoods, Roberts said.

A mail carrier told Local 10 he is now constantly watching his back.

Police said there are easy things homeowners can do to keep their deliveries safe. One of the easiest: have the post office hold your mail if you know you'll be away.

Also, add a signature confirmation to your incoming deliveries, so a parcel is only delivered if someone is home and can sign for it.

Or, pay extra for specific delivery instructions. FedEx and UPS offer most of these services.

Anyone with information on the woman seen stealing packages in Coral Springs, in a neighborhood off Northwest 104th Avenue, is asked to call police or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

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