Dallas woman believes porch pirate stole her identity

A Northeast Dallas homeowner says a porch pirate stole much more than just a Christmas delivery.

The homeowner was inside on Wednesday when video shows a woman run up and snag a package minutes after it was delivered. The victim says she didn't order that package and that it was a replacement credit card in her name.

The incident happened in Northeast Dallas near Abrams and Northwest Highway. The woman believes the package theft wasn't random but planned.

Package thefts have become an unfortunate, common part of the holiday season. But a Northeast Dallas woman says the theft that happened to her is different. She asked that her name not be used.

“What I thought was a maybe a children's book or maybe just an Amazon package being delivered,” she said. “It turned out to be something totally different.”

She wants to warn others by sharing video of what happened to her Wednesday when she says a young woman she spotted standing on the street two hours earlier walked up just after a UPS driver had just dropped off a package.

FOX 4 has blurred the suspect’s face because it is not clear if she is an adult or minor. After walking out of view, she darts up and grabs the package. By the time the homeowner got outside, the package was gone. But another package she hadn't yet grabbed from the front step was still there, piquing her suspicion.

“I looked into my bank account just to see if I ordered something random,” she said. “I know that sounds awful, but I noticed right away I had over $4,500 worth of charges onto my card from Nordstrom at the Galleria. We had called to UPS to see what the package was and it weighed zero pounds. So immediately that clicked that this was a credit card delivered to our house. And within an hour, they had used the card for charges.”

But the woman says she had not ordered a replacement credit card. An email from her bank shows someone did. She was later told the credit card was expedited, meaning the delivery could be tracked. She believes whoever was behind the package theft might also have her identity.

“My mind was just blown that I know there are people out there like that,” she said.

Dallas police are investigating the incident. According to the police report, the person who ran off with the package was seen getting into a gray Dodge four-door pickup.

The homeowner says she's hopeful her bank will take care of the fraudulent charges, but is also hoping her story serves as a reminder for people to check their bank accounts.