A Richmond woman is warning the public after she caught a thief brazenly stealing an Amazon package from her front porch on security video.
Jenny Lin said the package filled with gifts for her mom’s birthday was delivered to her Lackner Crescent home on Monday at 2:20 p.m.
It sat unmolested under her front door mat for just 45 minutes before the thief struck.
In the video, a man with a bicycle dressed in a blue shirt and hat can be seen walking up to Lin’s front door, lifting the door mat and looking at the package.
He then looks in her mailbox, before looking around to see if anyone is watching — and turning his bicycle around.
He carefully puts the bike’s kickstand down, then lifts the package onto the bike and pedals away with it.
On June 22, police say after a lengthy investigation by Richmond RCMP Property Crime Unit (PCU), the suspect was identified and they were able to connect him to similar crimes in Richmond spanning from March 2018 to April 2018.
Dana Adam Halifax, 40, of no fixed address is accused of:
- 1 count of mischief
- 2 counts of theft from mail
- 1 count of theft of parcel under $5,000
- 1 count of theft of mail
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“Mail theft is a problem that we take very seriously,” Sgt. Simon Lee of the Richmond RCMP Crime Reduction Unit said on June 22. “Stealing parcels or mail is theft, pure and simple. We were very determined to identify the suspect and painstakingly followed the evidence. That determination proved very fruitful.”
In an email, Lin said theft hasn’t been a problem in the area before.
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“It was more of a shock seeing your items stolen before your eyes,” she said.
She said she reported the theft immediately to police, but that she was told the package is likely gone for good.
“They said I won’t see the package again, but to keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour and phone them if necessary,” she said.
Package theft is becoming a growing concern, as Canadians increasingly turn to eCommerce outlets like Amazon to do their shopping.
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Late last year, a Vancouver family who captured another brazen package thief on camera told Global News they believed the man was following the delivery truck.
The video came after a Langley family urged FedEx to change the way it delivers packages after a delivery was apparently stolen right off their front step.
At Christmas, Vancouver police issued a warning about increased parcel thefts, and issued tips to try and protect shoppers such as having the parcel shipped to a friend or family member, or to require a signature for delivery.
For Lin, the experience was an unpleasant lesson, but she said she’s happy to share advice with others about how not to get targeted in the future.
“The advice I’ve been getting is to get shipments to your workplace or to postal offices if there is no one home to sign for them.”
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