Phony Amazon delivery driver steals expensive package off GR family’s porch

A West Michigan family fell victim to a devious scheme by a thief who disguised himself as an Amazon delivery driver to steal packages from her porch.

"I feel violated," Petra Waters told FOX 17 Thursday morning.

She and her husband were out of town on September 24.

They were expecting a number of Apple products to arrive on their front porch while they were gone, so they were keeping a close eye on their phones.

Petra got an alert that her new iPhone, and two sets of AirPods, had been delivered on her front porch.

"When my kids got home, I asked them to grab the packages, but they weren't there."

She pulled up her Ring doorbell app.

In a video recorded at 3:26 p.m., she sees a FedEx driver drop her items off at her house.

But, not two minutes later, her video shows a man wearing a blue Amazon vest waltz up, drop off a nondescript cardboard box, and take her packages.

After investigating in person, she found that he had swapped her high-end Apple products for a box of printer paper.

With everything captured on her Ring doorbell camera, she reported it to the Grand Rapids Police Department.

A spokesperson for the department told FOX 17 Thursday that they planned to investigate the incident further.

"It's funny how they're after the iPhones," she said. "I mean, it makes me suspicious… and I'm out money."

She is not sure if the phony delivery driver knew what he was picking up or not.

The Kent County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that they had not received any reports of similar incidents at this time.

A spokesperson for Amazon told FOX 17 Thursday, “Unfortunately, there are bad actors who wear look-alike apparel to commit porch piracy.”

“We encourage anyone who’s been a victim of porch piracy to report it to the police and we’ll work with law enforcement to help as much as possible.”

Amazon provides some tips for keeping your packages safe.

1. Track your packages in real time.
2. Specify a hidden drop-off location.
3. Select a designated delivery day.
4. Ship to an alternate delivery location.
5. Share tracking details with friends and family.
6. Get proof of package arrival with Photo-on-Delivery.
7. Leverage Ring for package alerts.
8. Deliver to your garage.
9. Check if there’s a delivery window.
10. Seek support from Amazon Customer Service.

As for Waters, she has been forced to place another order for her stolen items.

"My phone that I just reordered this morning, they said they have to ship it… and I'm like, 'Oh my goodness.'"

If you have any information about this incident or have experienced something similar, please contact the Grand Rapids Police Department at (616) 456-3400 or Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345.

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