UPS快递员偷窃联邦快递包裹被拍

Christmas is near and families wait for the last-minute packages to arrive. Police all over the country are cautioning communities. They say this is the time of the year, thieves like to steal deliveries right off your doorstep, and you may be surprised when you see who is accused of doing it. NBC's Janet Shamlian has the story.

The videos are all over the Internet. Delivery people dropping off packages, and a moment's later, someone walks up and takes the box right off the front doorstep. Sometimes, the thieves are caught on the home surveillance cameras. The latest example near Huston:

Al Everson says his home security system shows that a Fedex delivery man leaving a new iPad mini on his doorstep Wednesday. “Later

that same day,”

he says,

“a UPS delivery person shows up and also leaves a package and walks away. But that's not the end of it.” Elvison says the security video shows the UPS driver came back, picked up the box with the iPad and walked away a second time. Everson posted the video on Youtube, and the next day a deputy and an investigator from UPS were at his home. The iPad was returned and the UPS says the employee was fired. Everson did not press charges.

Police all over the country say package thieves are on the prowl this time of year.

“I ordered this package online and after about a week and a half, the package just never showed up.”

Kim Westerback says she had more than 400 dollars with the clothing stolen that she ordered online. She says it was delivered but then it disappeared. And she says all of it was captured on the security camera mounted by her front-door. “I mean the guy really has guts to get out of his car on my street, come on to my property, and take something that belongs to me in broad daylight. ”

Westerback filed the police report, then posted the video online. So far no suspects. “It was as if there were a Christmas shopping at my house.”

Across the country during the holidays, some one billion packages will be delivered. The US Postal Service had about 2000 reported mail thefts last year. As for Fedex, it says it has an outstanding reliability record and it's up to long enforcement to investigate thefts. UPS says package theft is extremely rare, so low the company says it doesn't keep statistics. But videos posted online seemed to show it still happens. To avoid theft, many delivery companies offer signature or delivery confirmation services for an additional fee. For Kim Westerback, it's a lesson learned. “I just didn't think somebody would steal a package with clothes in it.”

Delivered but not received, as some holiday gifts go missing. For Today, Janet Shamlian, NBC News, Huston.