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SAVANNAH, Ga () — Seasonal scams and package thefts happen often in Savannah during the holidays according to Savannah law enforcement. Some of the crimes are quite brazen – others quite sneaky.
Corp. Joshua Flynn of the Savannah Police Department said, “Very often, we’ve even had instances where people will follow the Amazon trucks or the delivery trucks and they may wait until it clears the corner then they’ll get out and take stuff, so it’s something that’s a prevalent crime around the holidays for sure.”
“When those boxes get thrown away, they get put in the alley or pile in your trash can so they look enticing. Now we know what’s in your house, now we know what you bought, what you got for Christmas. So, what we suggest you do is either shred that stuff or break it up and do it on two different trash days, put half of it here half of it there, make sure it’s in a black bag, it gets put in the trash can properly. Don’t let it sit out as a display,” Corp. Barry Lewis of the Community Engagement Division of the Savannah Police Department added.
There are some things you can do to help keep yourself safe like installing a doorbell camera that can track movement outside of your home to deter would-be criminals. Police also want you to be mindful of what you’re keeping in plain sight. This includes the empty boxes of some of your more expensive holiday gifts.
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Savannah PD is recommending to not shop alone on Black Friday if at all possible. Also, make sure you aren’t leaving those high-value items in the car for longer than absolutely necessary.
“Limit the amount of cash that you’re carrying while you’re out. If you can, try to utilize credit cards or debit cards to make all your purchases. If you’re purchasing something that you know is a high dollar item, try to make those purchases towards the end while you’re out shopping so that you can take those directly home with you,” Corp. Flynn said.
If you have plans of traveling around the holidays, police recommend that you get your mail stopped if you’ll be out of town for an extended period of time. Mail can pile up fast around the holidays and alert potential thieves of who may or may not be home.
