WRAL News received video footage Wednesday of a man dressed as a FedEx driver stealing packages from homes in the West Lake neighborhood of Raleigh.
The video showed a FedEx driver dropping off packages Friday in the neighborhood. Minutes later, another person dressed as a FedEx driver approached the home and took the packages away.
“It was 4:30 in the afternoon. We were watching TV, and I got the notification that FedEx delivered our package,” said Andrew Arrowood, who provided the video. “They had delivered it at 4:07 p.m., so I immediately went out to look for the package [and] it wasn’t there.”
When Arrowood checked video footage from his Ring Doorbell camera, he saw someone dressed as a driver pretending to scan his packages and walking away with them.
“He actually pretended to take a picture of it, but then he walks away with it, which is pretty bizarre,” he said. “Like, how do you explain that?’
Residents said this was the first known report of a porch pirate in the neighborhood but said FedEx has had issues with a particular group of packages.
According to Arrowood, FedEx told him the company was having issues with people stealing packages from AT&T, saying AT&T does not conceal their packages.
“They were the ones who told me they were having trouble with AT&T packages,” he said.
This isn’t the first instance of a Triangle neighborhood dealing with stolen packages this year. In August, a resident in the 5401 North subdivision stopped a package from being stolen off his porch. In June, a Durham resident had their package stolen by a fake Amazon worker.
WRAL News reached out to FedEx for comment on the thefts, and received the following statement:
“The security of our customers’ shipments is our top priority, and we encourage any customer who believes a shipment has been stolen to immediately contact local law enforcement. Additionally, we offer tools to give our customers added peace of mind when it comes to the delivery of their packages. Our solutions like FedEx Delivery Manager and the FedEx mobile app offer customers a convenient experience with more control over the timing and location of their deliveries.”
Additionally, we regularly engage with local, state, and federal law enforcement authorities and monitor crime trends. We apply these learnings internally on a regular basis to ensure our security procedures remain current.
FedEx also told WRAL News they have their delivery manager to help people control the timing and location of their deliveries.
Arrowood said he filed a report with the Raleigh Police Department and hopes to raise awareness among others so they don’t fall victim to porch pirates going into the holiday season.
WRAL News reached out to AT&T regarding their packaging policy and is waiting to hear back.
