Crime & Safety
Beware! Mail Packages Being Stolen From Los Gatos Porches
Women's designer clothing and shoes are taken from Dover Street home.
Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police are warning residents against mail packages being stolen from front porches after an incident early this month left a local woman without three valuable items she had ordered online.
According to police, the 38-year-old victim reported women’s designer clothing and shoes valued between $250 and $275 were taken from her front porch on Dover Street in Los Gatos at 12:42 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3.
The victim reported the crime to authorities at 2:09 p.m. Aug. 12 after ordering them online and having them delivered to her house by FedEx, said Los Gatos/Monte Sereno police Sgt. Clinton Tada.
The crime serves as a reminder that online shopping requires safety precautions, which include making sure the websites and businesses customers order from are legitimate, Sgt. Tada said.
Online shoppers should also make sure businesses' websites perform secure online payment transactions and that their websites offer order and delivery status updates, or provide a tracking number, Sgt. Tada added.
Shipping companies like FedEx, UPS or USPS often provide updated tracking information, which customers should monitor when expecting a shipment, he noted.
In addition, some of these shipping companies allow customers to register with their websites, track their packages and designate signature requirements upon delivery or other alternative delivery locations at clients' requests, he said.
On Aug. 1, FedEx also posted a fraudulent email alert on its website warning customers that a new bogus email is circulating with the subject line “Pending Delivery.”
The fraudulent email wants customers to text personal information to a telephone number the delivery services company says it wants customers to text personal information to a telephone number.
"If you receive this message, do not open the email or text information to the telephone number," the FedEx alert said, adding that the company doesn't send unsolicited emails to customers requesting information regarding passwords, account numbers, packages, invoices or other personal information.
If you receive such an email, FedEx urges customers to forward it to abuse@fedex.com.
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