Thief who stole package from Winnipeg doorstep within minutes of delivery 'knew exactly what he was' doing

A Winnipeg woman is warning online shoppers to be cautious about deliveries, after someone stole a package from her front door within half an hour of its delivery over the weekend.

Lori Perdue was home early Saturday afternoon when a Purolator delivery driver arrived with an Amazon package, sandwiched it between her two front doors and left.

But the River Heights resident didn't know the package had arrived: the driver didn't ring her doorbell or knock on her door, she said, and she's got video footage from her home security system showing he skipped those steps.

Roughly 20 minutes later, the same footage shows a young man walk directly up to her door, open it, grab the package and leave. Perdue said she thinks he was following the delivery truck, based on how quickly he got there.

Watch the security video:

Doorbell camera captures parcel being stolen

6 years ago

Duration 0:22

Lori Perdue's doorbell camera recorded a parcel being dropped off by a courier and then stolen 21 minutes later.

"The timeline's just so tight.… He knew exactly what he was [doing]. He didn't look anywhere else except that door," Perdue said.

"You sort of feel violated."

Perdue reported the theft to police. A police spokesperson has confirmed a report was filed and has referred the case to the service's major crimes unit.

Purolator investigating

A spokesperson for Purolator told CBC the company has been in contact with Perdue and is investigating.

"Delivering packages safely and securely is our top priority," the spokesperson wrote in an email. "Our drivers are required to alert a customer when leaving packages that do not require a signature by knocking on their door or ringing their doorbell."

Perdue said the package contained about $20 worth of baking supplies. She's now worried about the fate of other deliveries, containing Christmas presents, which she's expecting in the coming days.

For other online shoppers, she recommends getting home security systems like her own, which clearly captured the thief's face, and ordering packages to central pickup locations, instead of their own homes, where possible.

Amazon already runs such a service, called Lockers, which isn't offered in Winnipeg. In Canada, it's currently only available in the Toronto and Vancouver areas, according to Amazon's website.

The online retailer does, though, offer the option of choosing a Winnipeg Canada Post location as a pickup point.