ESCANABA — As the holiday season continues, many are in the holiday spirit, ordering presents online and preparing for gift-giving and family time. Unfortunately, grinches may be out and about trying to crush the holiday spirit. With packages showing up among residents every day, officials are warning about possible ‘porch pirates.’

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel recently made a statement regarding porch pirates, urging citizens to take proactive steps to protect their packages from theft.

“Whether it’s a package or a piece of mail, unattended deliveries are easy targets for porch pirates,” Nessel said. “By planning ahead and taking security measures, you can make sure your well-deserved gifts and packages reach you safely while keeping thieves from stealing your holiday cheer.

Luckily, porch pirates have been rare in the Delta County area. Still, local law enforcement encourages the public to be on guard.

Escanaba Public Safety Detective Todd Chouinard said his office received approximately 25 theft or fraud complaints this past month.

“We did not have any porch theft complaints in November, but we had two reported this past week,” Chouinard said.

Delta County Sheriff Ed Oswald said there has not been an increase in theft or fraud complaints since November but encourages the public to be vigilant and report anything suspicious.

“Report activities from people that appear strange or out of the norm,” Oswald said.

In Gladstone, the department is not seeing an increase in theft or fraud, and there have yet to be any reports of porch pirates.

“We haven’t seen an increase. We still have our typical scammers that I think other departments/cities are seeing,” said Gladstone Public Safety Officer Mallory Nelsen.

Even though local law enforcement agencies are not seeing an excessive increase in theft or porch pirates, Chouinard, Oswald and Nelsen encourage residents to take preventative measures this holiday season.

Law enforcement tips include installing motion lights on your porch or deck; video surveillance such as a Ring doorbell; when ordering gifts online, request a signature for delivery; ask a neighbor to retrieve your package if they’re able; if you know you will not be home will a package is delivered, have it delivered to your place of employment or a friend or family member that will be home when the package arrives.

Chouinard also wanted to address acts of fraud, saying the department is receiving several complaints, specifically targeting the elderly.

According to Chouinard, reports of romance fraud, the type of fraud where an individual creates a fake online profile and attempts to befriend strangers on social media before scamming them out of money or information, are high.

“They will sometimes go three to six months of communicating with you before asking for money,” he said.

Another type of fraud Chouinard warns of is gift card fraud, in which a scammer poses as a company or even the government looking for payment. The scammers inform the unsuspecting victim that they need to purchase a gift card and relay the numbers to them.

“If someone requires you to purchase gift cards and call them to give the numbers, it’s a fraud,” he explained.

Another form of fraud is check fraud, in which a scammer sends an individual a check for a substantial amount of money and asks them to cash it for them and keep a small amount for themselves.

“Or they send a check to you but tell you the secretary accidentally wrote the check out much higher than they were supposed to, and they say to please return the overage amount. It is a fraudulent check and don’t cash the check. The person cashing the check will be responsible for paying back the financial institution,” Chouinard explained.

Nelsen wanted to take the time to remind the public about safety tips for fire prevention during the holidays.

“Tis the season for candles, but we need to make sure they are far enough away from anything low-hanging or flammable and not leaving them unattended,” she said.

She added that if you have a real tree, water it frequently, as it can dry out and become highly flammable.

If stockings are placed on fireplaces, Nelsen recommends not having a fire going in the fireplace.

“Gladstone Public Safety wishes everyone a safe and cheerful holiday season,” Nelsen said.