|
If suspicious of seasonal delivery drivers, call
cops |
|
November 29, 2017 |
 |
A notice going around on social media giving a
Bonner County phone number to call if you see
suspicious seasonal UPS, FedEx or other delivery
drivers in private vehicles this holiday season
isn't quite correct. According to a UPS
corporate spokesman, if you see suspicious
delivery drivers, no matter who they purport to
be working for, call local law enforcement.
"There are so many delivery companies, calling
any single one to find out if a driver is
legitimate would waste precious time," said UPS
Public Relations manager Matthew O'Connor from
corporate headquarters in Atlanta. "If a driver
doesn't look right or rouses suspicion, by all
means call law enforcement."
There have been concerns raised locally that
seasonal delivery drivers, specifically UPS
drivers could easily be emulated by imposters
seeking to case out neighborhoods to rob.
During the busy holiday season, many, if not
most delivery companies and services add extra
staff to make sure that all the packages get to
their intended recipients in time for Christmas.
Some, O'Connor said, do use their own vehicles,
but, as with all UPS delivery personnel, they
wear the official and distinctive brown UPS
uniform and they undergo UPS training before
they are sent to make a single delivery.
In addition, he said, with seasonal temporary
drivers, they specifically hire people from the
communities in which they'll work, as they know
and are part of the community they'll serve.
"Our seasonal drivers do wear the UPS uniform,
and they are hired from within the communities
where they'll work," O'Connor said. "On any
official UPS delivery, unless it is a package
requiring signature, our driver will leave the
package at the door unless otherwise specified,
ring the doorbell and say 'UPS.' Then they'll
scan in that package and, if there's no answer,
they leave. You don't have to answer the door if
you are worried or suspicious. If it's a package
requiring a signature, the same thing applies,
except instead of leaving your package, they
will leave a notice that your signature is
required and giving you pickup information."
"As e-commerce continues to grow, so does the
number of packages moving through our network,"
said Jennifer Caccavo Cordeau, FedEx media
relations. "While the use of rental vehicles is
typically temporary, during the busy shipping
season contracted service providers for FedEx
Ground may add rental vehicles to their fleets
to accommodate the increased package volume.
Employees making deliveries for those service
providers are expected to wear a photo ID
badge."
If you are wondering and worrying about such
things as the holidays draw near, another thing
to think about is having important emergency
telephone numbers posted prominently by all
landline phone sets in your home, or in places
from which those in your home are most likely to
make a call if they use their cell phones.
While you might know the number to dial if
there's a fire, a medical emergency, a crime
being committed or some other dire situation, at
the holidays, you are apt to have friends and
family visiting from out of town, and it may
fall to them to have to place the appropriate
call for help.
Have those essential numbers posted, even the
ubiquitous "9-1-1." Often in an emergency, the
mind freezes, and a reminder you can't miss
could make all the difference. Be sure to
include the numbers to your nearest neighbors on
your list as well, as an emergency might require
the closest help or you may need a place to go
to until the danger is over. |
|
Questions or comments about this
article?
Click here to e-mail! |
|
|
|
|
