Plan ahead so your packages aren’t stolen over the holidays: Toronto police

With many stores closed in the GTA due to COVID-19 lockdown measures, more people are choosing to order their holiday gifts online.

Toronto police are warning you to plan ahead so you’re not a victim of theft.

Constable Caroline de Kloet said if you know you’re not going to be home when your parcel is scheduled to be delivered, “have it delivered at a location in the area, maybe that’s convenient to your work or to your home, and then you can pick it up at your convenience.”

De Kloet recommends signing up for tracking updates on your phone so you can ask a neighbour to bring the parcel inside their home when it has arrived.

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“There’s great trackers right now available for shipments,” de Kloet said.

“Contact whoever is sending you a package and see if you can track it either by getting text message notifications, and then as soon as you are notified that your package has arrived, maybe you can call a neighbour and ask them to bring it in, either to your place or to theirs.”

“Another thing that would be helpful is if you concealed the package in some way, so maybe if you would put it underneath a chair,” she said, or a container to hide it “so it’s not so obvious that it’s right in front of your door waiting to be brought in.”

If you are planning to buy an item from someone you’ve met online, police say to meet that person in a busy area — not your home.

“Go somewhere in an open space, and also a space that’s really busy,” de Kloet said, “maybe meet them at a coffee shop, parking lot, or police station, and do the transaction there.”

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Last month, police said with people selling gaming systems online, they received numerous reports of robberies — some violent.

“This is not something you should be doing by yourself, so if you can go with a family member or a friend — and also let other people know where you are,” de Kloet said.

De Kloet said before you give the seller your money — to make sure you’re getting what you’re paying for.

“Before you leave, or before you send your money, or give your money to that individual, make sure you actually see what you’re receiving so you’re not receiving, say for an example, a laptop that you thought you would get in a box and it’s a box of magazines.”

If you have had a parcel stolen after it landed on your doorstep, de Kloet said to report it to police online.