Game of Thrones may be long gone, but winter is still coming. And if it’s anything like last year, there will be plenty of packages hitting doorsteps this holiday season. In 2019, the USPS alone delivered around 750 million packages -- and that doesn’t even include carriers like FedEx and UPS!

But there’s a dark side to all of those deliveries. According to C + R Research, 36 percent of Americans are victims of "porch pirates," opportunistic package thieves that can strike at any time. Porch pirates are a big problem, but they're easy to defeat. You just need to follow a few simple steps. And sporting the right smart home security tech won’t hurt, either.

If you’re looking for a few easy ways to keep your packages safe this year, keep reading.

See Also: Tips to Protect Your Surveillance Cameras from Hackers

Protecting Your Home from Porch Pirates

Keeping your packages safe isn't hard; it just takes a little preparation. Essex County's ABC 7 spoke with Police Captain Ed Sullivan, who offered some easy-to-follow guidelines to secure your home and property.

Sullivan says potential criminals will follow delivery trucks and target homes that look unoccupied.  He suggests scheduling deliveries for when you know you'll be home. That way, you can greet your driver and sign on delivery. Of course, you can't always be at home. You can contact the postal service and send deliveries to your office or another secure location in those cases. Otherwise, you can ask your driver to put the package somewhere safe and out of view.

By following these simple tips, you can reduce your risk of becoming a victim. And to keep your property and family safe, you can use the latest smart technology.

Vivint Smart Security Protects Your Packages

ABC 7 also urges viewers to “consider investing in a video security system, doorbell monitoring, and smart-home systems.” Captain Sullivan says that security cameras help catch criminals: "We will have pictures and video of the person who took [the package] so they can look for them in the future."

Vivint, a security technology leader, offers an array of smart camera systems that record and store hours of video, feature user-friendly search functions, and minimize false alarms with the latest in advanced artificial intelligence.

Perfect for outdoor, indoor, and entryway applications, Vivint smart security cameras feature wide viewing angles in full 1080p HD, infrared LED night vision, and hybrid Wi-Fi/hardwired networking for robust connections. And the system is easy to use thanks to intuitive control on the Vivint app.

Vivint also uses Smart Sentry, a powerful AI tool, to ensure your porches stay pirate-free. Lurker detection automatically notifies you and issues a warning to anyone spending too much time near your home. Advanced detection means you won’t receive motion alerts about pets and animals -- just people. And Smart Clips automatically produce short, event-based videos that range from 10 to 90 seconds, easily accessible from your smartphone or tablet.

Smart security starts with keeping an eye on your home. Vivint makes it simple.

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