A new type of porch pirate scheme appears to involve a thief posing as an Amazon delivery worker.
The incident was caught on a homeowner's Ring camera in Woodinville, Washington, Saturday.
In the video, the woman appeared to drop off a small package. Instead of making a delivery, the woman can be seen taking a large package that was on the porch.
“At first I was a little confused, I was just kind of - is she delivering? Is she - ? No, no, nope, it’s not that. She just took my package,” said Lisa Rhodes. As the woman walks away, you can see she’s wearing an Amazon vest or coat.
Rhodes, who also happens to be the neighborhood watch block captain in her Wellington neighborhood, contacted the King County Sheriff's Office.
"This is a new one for us, for the police," Sgt Ryan Abbott said.
Abbott said detectives have confirmed this woman does not work for Amazon.
“This is concerning to us because there are so many people who get deliveries from Amazon and never for a second would think the person delivering their package could be somebody that’s just pretending to be a delivery person with Amazon and instead is stealing packages,” Abbott explained.
The video also shows the thief placing the packages in the trunk of a waiting car. She then gets in the passenger seat. Abbott said the car drove slowly down the street, as if the people in it were looking for more houses to hit.
Rhodes said the package contained a gift for her son but she’s trying to not let this Grinch dampen her holiday spirit.
“I don't want it to ruin Christmas,” added Rhodes. “To tell you the truth, I kind of feel sorry for her because I think anybody in that position where they're doing that type of thing, what's their life like? You know, so I think she needs prayer.”
Rhodes said she'll have packages delivered.
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