Looking for outside opinions on a strange sequence of events involving a stolen phone delivery. I know it’s easy to jump to conclusions, but a few things here feel unusually planned, and any insights would be really appreciated. Unfortunately, I can’t upload the video here.
Here’s the timeline:
2:51 pm: FedEx delivers the phone.
3:48 pm: A man shows up at my door, but by this point, the package is already gone. He stays around for a while, almost like he’s making sure no one’s home. He even rings the bell a couple of times. Could he be involved somehow? Maybe as a lookout? Not sure, though.
4:06 pm: A girl arrives and checks around the porch, even behind flower pots. I can hear her say, “It’s not here,” as if she’s letting someone know. Unfortunately, my camera doesn’t capture the street, so I can’t tell if she’s talking to someone nearby.
I’m wondering if this could be an organized theft or if someone was tracking the phone delivery through FedEx’s system. I don’t have other camera angles, but I’m reaching out to neighbors to see if they caught anything. My neighborhood is pretty quiet, not on a main street.
FedEx marked the package as delivered at 2:51 pm, with a photo showing it behind the flower pots, so that part checks out. I don’t recognize any of the people in the footage, and I filed a police report and contacted FedEx and AT&T.
Any thoughts? Does this sound like an organized setup, or am I overthinking? I’d love to hear about other methods thieves use and if there are any additional steps I should take. All input is welcome—just want to make sure I’m not missing anything.
More cameras won’t help much in this kind of case. You could consider perimeter alarms, but your neighbors might not appreciate it.
I’d suggest using pickup lockers or pickup locations, especially with the holiday season coming up. Or you could install a secure parcel locker on your porch.
For USPS, I use informed delivery for mail and packages, which lets you put your packages on hold. FedEx and UPS accounts tied to your address can also send notifications when a label is created. With UPS, you can pay $20 a year for unlimited delivery changes. It’s helpful for avoiding package theft, especially if you’re away and don’t want stuff piling up.
@Trevor
Thanks! That’s really helpful advice, especially about using pickup locations. We’ve had packages stolen a few times this year, but going without a phone for a week with work, kids, and public transit has been a nightmare. I’ll definitely look into setting up FedEx and UPS accounts for notifications. Appreciate the suggestions!
When you mention the man at 3:48 pm, you say the package is already gone. So there’s no activity between the FedEx delivery and this man’s appearance? Could it be that the FedEx driver took the package back after taking the delivery photo, and these other people are part of a team checking if it’s still there?
Sometimes, it’s just someone following the delivery truck on a bike or in a car, noting where it stops.
Some houses also have long sight lines, so if your house is in the right spot, it’s easy for someone to see the delivery.
The guy who rang the bell could have seen someone else take the package and wanted to let you know. I’ve done that for my neighbors a few times. I know drivers don’t always ring the bell, so if I see a package sitting on someone’s porch for a while, I’ll ring their bell in case they didn’t get notified. I’ve even watched a courier’s location throughout the day, tracking stops along the way.