Bah, humbug: Front porch holiday parcel thefts rising
Jobin Panicker, WFAA 10:55 p.m. CST December 18, 2014
FARMERS BRANCH – Burk Goldthorn has a nice setup at his home-office. It allows him a nice view of his yard whenever he likes.
That’s a benefit that may have kept the Farmers Branch resident from being a victim of a recent rash of porch thefts.
“She walked straight up to my house, just like casually — not in a hurry,” he said.
Goldthorn said a woman walked up to his home and he expected a doorbell ring, but instead saw her with his mail.
“She had a package I was expecting and my mail in her hand,” he said.
She was a complete stranger, stealing from him in broad daylight. Goldthorn would get his stuff back after an awkward exchange.
“It happened to me last year and I didn’t report it,” said a neighbor who did not want to be identified. “So this year, I reported it.”
Dumb. Any package that is to be delivered to my address has a stipulation, if package is not deliverable, if not home, please take package to the Post Office, will pick up package when I return. This has been a policy for years. It works great and nothing gets misplaced, stolen or misdirected. No medications are to ever be left on the deck, too. With the theft of packages that has happened in the past I learned my lesson the hard way - Gabapentin left in 2008 on the deck - can be sold for quite a bit on the street. An 18 year old girl was watching for medication packages and when she saw the package left on the deck - return address medical provider she took the package. A 90 day supply of medications netted her $3000.00.
When I get morphine tablets, that is when I go to the pharmacy - a narcotic. I pick up the medication and carry my pistol in a harness. I park in front of the store, wheelcahir in and out and keep an eye out for anyone watching me. The junkies are looking for a quick fix. This month there has 9 arrests in the little area I live in for prescription drug thefts and heroin.
I’ve often found my medicines in a bag on top of the mail box. We informed the Post Office not to do that as some of the medications are expensive, but most of them are deadly poison if taken without proper instruction.
Can’t you just see some drug addict tossing down half a bottle of warfarin to see if he will get a high?
I haven’t received mail in a home mail box since I was a kid in 1971.
All my mail goes to the post office. I live in Maine now, and my local post office had me fill out a form which allows me to use their street address for packages from UPS, FedEx, etc.
For instance, say my post office box at the post office is 2502 (it isn’t). My mailing address for UPS or FedEx would be the street address of the post office plus my post office box.....
Joe Blow
199 Main Street # 2502
Podunk, Maine 04999
Or, instead of # 2502, I could use Unit # 2502.
This is only for packages sent by carriers other than the Postal Service....I’m not allowed to use the street address for USPS packages. Also, I’m not allowed to use their street address for letters.
Just before Christmas, thieves were stealing mail from mail boxes in front of homes in six different, neighboring Maine towns. The crooks were looking for gift cards or cash sent through the mail as Christmas gifts.
In this day and age, I would never have my personal mail just sitting out in the street where any drug-addled criminal could steal it.....bank statements, credit card statements, medical information, etc.....I don’t think so.
Article was short on facts. Ret Military on Tricare Life as the secondary to Medicare were DOD MANDATED 4/14 to use Express Scripts or Military base for their daily meds.
Problem with ES is they are known for FRAUD, bad customer service, and shoving your meds UN PHOTO ID SIGNED for into your mail box. For us that is $3K every 3 months.
They come in a plastic bag. As more preps become aware of this procedure more drug thefts will occur. I suspect Medicare will go the same way soon. I worry about the children of all ages in our neighborhood getting into those meds. Thankfully we get the worst ones from the Base. But the Base does not carry everything. When you reorder base takes 5 days, ES takes 2 weeks. All computerized. ES over rides a doctors DAW too.