Upcoming shopping season offers thieves greater chance to snatch packages off front porches

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- As the weather gets colder the holiday shipping season heats up. Each year more and more people opt to shop online-- leaving themselves vulnerable to porch pirates if their packages arrive when they are not at home.

"All the time packages are being stolen, people are breaking into mailboxes, I mean just anything you can imagine," said Felicia Salazar, Sam's Mail Call.

Places like Sam's Mail Call in Northeast Fresno offers a solution. Rather than leaving parcels unattended people can drop off or receive packages there without having to worry about theft.

"It is safer versus having packages mailed to your front door and someone stealing them. Here we sign for them and hold them for the customer until they come here," said Salazar.

Sam's Mail Call handles hundreds of packages on a daily basis. To pick up-- customers need to show proper ID.

"For me I prefer to have my package dropped off here versus my home. I wouldn't want to have something left in front of my gate because I don't live in the best of areas so it's always a hassle for me so I would prefer to have it here," said Kristi Martinez, Fresno.

UPS now offers what is called access points at select liquor stores and markets in the Valley. You can choose to have packages delivered to these places for pick up rather than your home

"We generally start getting busy the first week of October. It's definitely going to pick up with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, even Thanksgiving with all the holidays everybody doing last minute shopping. We will be jam packed," said Salazar.

You can also protect yourself with a surveilence system or by making sure a signature is required for delivery.