INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (November 27, 2015) —IMPD officers say as the holiday season vamps up, items you order online and have shipped to your home can become a target for thieves.

“It’s a crime of opportunity, where people can grab things and get out quickly,” IMPD officer Christopher Wilburn said, adding that people have become more brazen over the years. “It’s almost like its Christmas shopping. People are hoping to find that great find. They don’t know what’s inside the box. They are just grabbing the boxes that look or appear valuable.”

On Thursday, IMPD responded to the home of Jeanie Twitty, an avid online shopper, who had a package stolen from her front porch.

“It’s like ‘how could someone do this to me,'” Twitty said. “It makes me feel frightened.”

Twitty said she does almost all of her Christmas shopping online, about $3,000 worth of gifts last year.

“I’ve got grandchildren and it’s easier for me to go online get clothing and whatever I get and it really made me mad,” she said.

Twitty said she uses a P.O. box for most of her deliveries, but this specific manufacturer would not send her package to the post office. She said from now on she will be picking up all her online orders from the P.O. box.

“If they won’t take (my package) to my P.O. box, I won’t order from them,” Twitty said.

Wilburn said while thieves are becoming more brazen there are some ways to protect yourself from becoming a victim this holiday season.

• Require a signature before a delivery drivers leaves a package at your home.
• Use a P.O. box or see if you can have the package shipped a UPS store where you can pick it up.
• If you can’t be home, give the delivery driver specific instructions where to leave the package so that is out of plain sight.
• Send the package to a neighbor who is home during the day or your office to make sure someone is able to receive the package.