Porch pirates could disable doorbell cameras this holiday; here's how to stay safe

Package thieves are once again on the prowl this holiday season, looking to swipe deliveries from front doors. Many people rely on their doorbell cameras to help them catch potential swipers, but even those can fall victim to tech-savvy crooks.

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FOX 5 spoke to residents in a Dumfries neighborhood who say they’ve exchanged numbers to alert each other, track deliveries and install security cameras but even those cameras may not be enough.

"Thieves today have a lot of choices to buy very inexpensive WiFi jamming devices and they can essentially point them at your door, deactivate security cameras," said Pete Erickson, Founder of MODEV.

A crime map for Prince William County shows between Tuesday and Wednesday, there have been at least 13 larcenies and burglaries.

READ MORE: Postal Service says 'send packages early' this holiday season

Prince William County police tell FOX 5 the data doesn’t distinguish between porch pirates and other thefts and while many victims take to various apps in hopes of catching the crooks, police are urging victims to call the police.

Home security company Ring says while video doorbells can help customers keep track of their deliveries like any WiFi-enabled device, signal interference may affect performance.

Ultimately, intentionally jamming WiFi like this is illegal.

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FOX 5’s Tisha Lewis reports with features like package alerts, live view and two-way audio, customers can be alerted to package deliveries, instruct delivery drivers where to leave the package and speak directly to anyone who takes an interest in a delivered package.Po