WOMAN CAUGHT ON VIDEO SURVEILLANCE STEALING PACKAGES OFF A PORCH: HOW YOU CAN PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING TO YOU

Eureka, CA- It’s the busiest time of the year for UPS, people sending presents to friends and family.But imagine your gift never makes it to your loved one’s hands. we spoke to law enforcement who say thieves follow delivery trucks to homes, in hopes of scoring value items. This is footage from a Eureka resident who is a victim of theft, you can see the women look around and take the packages right off the porch. Lieutenant Steve Knight of the Sheriff Department said, "sometimes thieves actually follow the ups truck or the postal services truck and watch them put the package on the porch and steal it shortly after they leave."Law enforcement told us that thieves could make this into a lucrative business. Knight added, "Thieves when they sometimes steal items like this can try and return them to get their money back. Or they will resell it maybe on EBay or using Craig’s List.”UPS and Fed-Ex both provide forms to fill out, requiring that drivers do not leave packages on the porch.  Liz Tieck, the manager at the UPS store in Eureka says this is the safest way to make sure your present will be received. Tieck added, "where we will attempt to deliver it 3 times and get a signature and not leave the package at all. Unless it's with somebody inside the home."Another option would be to send the package to their work. Tieck said, "It’s a good thing to send it to a person who it at work. And they know someone will be there to receive it."UPS says you can also send packages to any UPS Store free of charge. They will notify you when the package arrives, ensuring that it ends up in the right hands.The woman in the video has been identified but has yet to be caught by police.