The holiday season is a time of joy, celebration, and giving.

However, some are more interested in taking—especially what isn’t rightfully theirs.

A family’s festive cheer was dampened when a thief made off with their children's Christmas presents in broad daylight.

The shocking incident was captured on a doorstep camera, providing a chilling reminder of the need for vigilance even during the season of goodwill.

The footage, recorded on Monday afternoon in Mulgrave, south-east Melbourne, showed a woman in a white t-shirt, black pants, dark sunglasses, and a cap nonchalantly approaching the family's front door.

A woman was caught on camera stealing Christmas presents. Credit: 7News Australia

She then proceeded to pick up two large boxes of toys resting on the doorstep, intended as Christmas gifts for the children of the house.

The stolen presents included costumes and other items worth hundreds of dollars.

The resident of the home, Michelle, expressed her dismay at the incident.

She and her partner had ordered the gifts in advance, hoping to surprise their children on Christmas day.

'We're two very busy people at home, and we don't have the time or energy to get to the shops,' she said.

The theft, she said, was not just a personal loss but a blow to the spirit of the season.

'If we were a family who was really struggling, some people would be going without. It's not a nice thing,' she added.

The incident is currently under investigation by Victoria Police.

Watch the video below:

​

According to a survey by comparison site Finder, one in five Australians have reported having a delivery stolen over the past year. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the need for consumers to take precautions when ordering items for home delivery.

To prevent such incidents, customers are advised to use a parcel container to secure their deliveries and to ensure their ID is verified by the delivery company.

Keeping track of deliveries online can also help in monitoring the status and location of your packages.

The incident in Mulgrave is not an isolated one. Across the globe, doorstep theft has been on the rise, particularly during the holiday season when the volume of home deliveries increases.

In a previous story, a 72-year-old former security guard stopped a thief from stealing an 11-year-old boy's mobile phone. The CCTV footage captured how the elderly man approached the 35-year-old thief and tackled him. Read more about the story here.

As consumers, we must stay vigilant and take proactive steps to protect our deliveries. This includes tracking our packages, opting for secure delivery options where available, and reporting any suspicious activity to the police or calling 000 for emergencies.

Key Takeaways

• A doorstep camera in Mulgrave, south-east Melbourne, has captured a woman stealing children's Christmas presents in broad daylight.
• The thief made off with two large boxes of toys and costumes worth hundreds of dollars.
• The theft is currently being investigated by Victoria Police.
• According to comparison site Finder, one in five Australians have reported having a delivery stolen over the past year.

Have you ever experienced a similar incident? What measures do you take to ensure the safety of your deliveries? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

 

[Leenie]

Hopefully someone will recognise this thief and let authorities know, this low life should be shamed in the media so everyone knows who she is. Maybe parcels should be picked up from postal office ,rather than be left to be stolen .

 

[Littleboy8]

Hopefully someone will recognise this thief and let authorities know, this low life should be shamed in the media so everyone knows who she is. Maybe parcels should be picked up from postal office ,rather than be left to be stolen .

Don’t know why people still get them delivered to the door especially this time of the year. The vultures are circling.

 

[Glo72]

What a lowlife act. I hope she gets caught,someone will know her.

 

[Col@45]

The holiday season is a time of joy, celebration, and giving.

However, some are more interested in taking—especially what isn’t rightfully theirs.

A family’s festive cheer was dampened when a thief made off with their children's Christmas presents in broad daylight.

The shocking incident was captured on a doorstep camera, providing a chilling reminder of the need for vigilance even during the season of goodwill.

The footage, recorded on Monday afternoon in Mulgrave, south-east Melbourne, showed a woman in a white t-shirt, black pants, dark sunglasses, and a cap nonchalantly approaching the family's front door.

View attachment 36843

A woman was caught on camera stealing Christmas presents. Credit: 7News Australia

She then proceeded to pick up two large boxes of toys resting on the doorstep, intended as Christmas gifts for the children of the house.

The stolen presents included costumes and other items worth hundreds of dollars.

The resident of the home, Michelle, expressed her dismay at the incident.

She and her partner had ordered the gifts in advance, hoping to surprise their children on Christmas day.

'We're two very busy people at home, and we don't have the time or energy to get to the shops,' she said.

The theft, she said, was not just a personal loss but a blow to the spirit of the season.

'If we were a family who was really struggling, some people would be going without. It's not a nice thing,' she added.

The incident is currently under investigation by Victoria Police.

Watch the video below:

​

According to a survey by comparison site Finder, one in five Australians have reported having a delivery stolen over the past year. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the need for consumers to take precautions when ordering items for home delivery.

To prevent such incidents, customers are advised to use a parcel container to secure their deliveries and to ensure their ID is verified by the delivery company.

Keeping track of deliveries online can also help in monitoring the status and location of your packages.

The incident in Mulgrave is not an isolated one. Across the globe, doorstep theft has been on the rise, particularly during the holiday season when the volume of home deliveries increases.

In a previous story, a 72-year-old former security guard stopped a thief from stealing an 11-year-old boy's mobile phone. The CCTV footage captured how the elderly man approached the 35-year-old thief and tackled him. Read more about the story here.

As consumers, we must stay vigilant and take proactive steps to protect our deliveries. This includes tracking our packages, opting for secure delivery options where available, and reporting any suspicious activity to the police or calling 000 for emergencies.

Key Takeaways

• A doorstep camera in Mulgrave, south-east Melbourne, has captured a woman stealing children's Christmas presents in broad daylight.
• The thief made off with two large boxes of toys and costumes worth hundreds of dollars.
• The theft is currently being investigated by Victoria Police.
• According to comparison site Finder, one in five Australians have reported having a delivery stolen over the past year.

Have you ever experienced a similar incident? What measures do you take to ensure the safety of your deliveries? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

Lowlifes! Stealing people's Xmas gifts is quite common, so you should never have things delivered and left on the doorstep, but organise to have it put in a safe place if not at home.

 

[PattiB]

It’s annoying that some businesses won’t deliver to PO Boxes. I’m okay as someone is usually at home & my lovely Aus Post lady always puts them at my back door.I track my deliveries so can organise a neighbour to collect for me. My husband is always gathering up next doors deliveries as a lot of our neighbours are younger & still working. My son in WA often finds some stuff doesn’t go to his post office box & ends up on his doorstep. He only goes into the office 2 days a week so manages okay. Our postie was worried one day as she thought people were following & watching her so she was relieved to see Ted emerge to collect our neighbours rather large package.

 

[Ronloby]

Yes, some companies won't accept a post office box as a delivery point when you fill out your details. This happened to me, and my parcel went missing.

 

[Catherines]

This Christmas Eve had a pkg delivered (no knock at door, no doorbell ring) just left outside door. It was addressed to unknown person, never heard the name in our area but had our address. I did ‘chat’ communication with Amazon which took over one hour 15 minutes with 8 different personnel at Amazon, some asking if there was a person by that name living at our address - am I stupid or are their communication staff not just ignorant but very, very stupid for asking me if there was anyone by that name at my address, and all this after I had already also told them the person’s name, the Order number on pkg & the tracking number. After over one hour I was told I could keep the item, give it away, donate to charity or dump it!!! I even said someone is probably waiting for a Christmas gift. I know it takes money to track the person plus money in a lost product which they may have to replace to the legitimate purchaser, at their cost but “what the ……..”. Could they not contact the person - surely they have some sort of ID information for the named person. We have tried checking phone numbers on the internet by the person named without any luck.

Too risky in this age of scams of all kinds so we checked our bank account to see if any money had been deducted - no, our account was not compromised but some poor b****r has paid for his item and is waiting for it. It is a child’s game or one for a juvenile (& could be used by gaming adults also).

We all know that no business EVER dispatches anything without payment first and some sort of ID. How it ended up on my account and at our address is a mystery and still to be determined; from the looks of my chat correspondence, Amazon couldn’t care less but has assured me my account will not be charged. I have printed out all 7 pages of my chat correspondence with Amazon as proof I have notified them, that it was wrongly addressed, that I have lived at the address for over 30 years, that I have never had anyone by that name living here, that it is not mine, that it was delivered to my address, that I contacted them and that they indicated my account will not be charged. We even went down the road to number 13 (our number is 3), thinking perhaps a digit was missing from the house number but - no luck.

 

[Gsr]

I ordered a poster from an ebay site for grandson for his birthday, in December,it never arrived. I ordered a second different one for him for Christmas, after I ordered the first one. It did arrive. From different companies, same delivery firm. First poster was dispatched and picked up by delivery firm, but never arrived at the next depot, now even the tracking no has disappeared off their website. I have contacted the delivery firm but have heard nothing, my guess is the poster was stolen by someone working for the delivery firm since the tracking no has disappeared off their site. I will contact the supplier soon, as they are closed til 7th January. I will also be contacting the delivery firm again and intend to keep sending them emails until I get a reply and explanation from them. This is the first time I have had a parcel go missing. Our mail lady and parcel deliverers are really good, they ring doorbell and if we are not home leave any packages out of sight in an area away from our front door. We are very rarely not at home as hubby is retired.

 

[mylittletibbies]

I ordered a poster from an ebay site for grandson for his birthday, in December,it never arrived. I ordered a second different one for him for Christmas, after I ordered the first one. It did arrive. From different companies, same delivery firm. First poster was dispatched and picked up by delivery firm, but never arrived at the next depot, now even the tracking no has disappeared off their website. I have contacted the delivery firm but have heard nothing, my guess is the poster was stolen by someone working for the delivery firm since the tracking no has disappeared off their site. I will contact the supplier soon, as they are closed til 7th January. I will also be contacting the delivery firm again and intend to keep sending them emails until I get a reply and explanation from them. This is the first time I have had a parcel go missing. Our mail lady and parcel deliverers are really good, they ring doorbell and if we are not home leave any packages out of sight in an area away from our front door. We are very rarely not at home as hubby is retired.

Yes, they are stupid, and basically don't give a sh*t.
Years ago when I had my business, I used to do mail order.
I sent a parcel to a customers PO box, which was returned saying that PO box number did not belong to the person named on the parcel.
I checked the customers printed order form and yes I had written the right PO box number
I rang the post office concerned and explained the situation and asked if they had a PO box for a person by that name
Their answer, they hadn't checked because that wasn't their job. Really, top marks for initiative.
I had to wait until an irate customer contacted me about the non receival of the goods. Turned out she had put 61 instead of 16 on her mail order form. Had to send a copy to her to prove her mistake.
Still think AustPost could have had enough initiative to check before they sent a rather large parcel all the way back from NSW to WA. Guess they're not paid to think.

 

[June E]

People that steal parcels from door ways are scum! Absolutely disgusting to take a parcel knowing full well it could have been the only thing that a child was getting. Pity someone didn’t make a parcel up with dog poop for the scum to take … it’s what they deserve.

 

[Littleboy8]

People that steal parcels from door ways are scum! Absolutely disgusting to take a parcel knowing full well it could have been the only thing that a child was getting. Pity someone didn’t make a parcel up with dog poop for the scum to take … it’s what they deserve.

Great idea

 

[NotPhilips]

Yes, some companies won't accept a post office box as a delivery point when you fill out your details. This happened to me, and my parcel went missing.

I've found that giving the address as 'Pobox 123' instead of 'P O Box 123' usually works.

 

[PattiB]

I've found that giving the address as 'Pobox 123' instead of 'P O Box 123' usually work

I’ll mention that to my son but some firms state that they don’t deliver to PO Boxes which I find bizarre as they often end up at post office if no one is home.

 

[NotPhilips]

This Christmas Eve had a pkg delivered (no knock at door, no doorbell ring) just left outside door. It was addressed to unknown person, never heard the name in our area but had our address. I did ‘chat’ communication with Amazon which took over one hour 15 minutes with 8 different personnel at Amazon, some asking if there was a person by that name living at our address - am I stupid or are their communication staff not just ignorant but very, very stupid for asking me if there was anyone by that name at my address, and all this after I had already also told them the person’s name, the Order number on pkg & the tracking number. After over one hour I was told I could keep the item, give it away, donate to charity or dump it!!! I even said someone is probably waiting for a Christmas gift. I know it takes money to track the person plus money in a lost product which they may have to replace to the legitimate purchaser, at their cost but “what the ……..”. Could they not contact the person - surely they have some sort of ID information for the named person. We have tried checking phone numbers on the internet by the person named without any luck.

Too risky in this age of scams of all kinds so we checked our bank account to see if any money had been deducted - no, our account was not compromised but some poor b****r has paid for his item and is waiting for it. It is a child’s game or one for a juvenile (& could be used by gaming adults also).

We all know that no business EVER dispatches anything without payment first and some sort of ID. How it ended up on my account and at our address is a mystery and still to be determined; from the looks of my chat correspondence, Amazon couldn’t care less but has assured me my account will not be charged. I have printed out all 7 pages of my chat correspondence with Amazon as proof I have notified them, that it was wrongly addressed, that I have lived at the address for over 30 years, that I have never had anyone by that name living here, that it is not mine, that it was delivered to my address, that I contacted them and that they indicated my account will not be charged. We even went down the road to number 13 (our number is 3), thinking perhaps a digit was missing from the house number but - no luck.

My son ordered a book from Amazon and they sent a completely different one. (Considering the number of orders they handle, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often!)

He rang them and was immediately told not to bother returning it. They also gave him a refund and the correct item. It simply isn't worth their while to investigate every mishap.

 

[NotPhilips]

I’ll mention that to my son but some firms state that they don’t deliver to PO Boxes which I find bizarre as they often end up at post office if no one is home.

Yes I know, it makes no sense whatsoever. There are some quite large areas (e.g. Broome) where there is no street delivery and every household has a PO box, unless they want to queue up with ID at the counter.

Luckily, online ordering systems usually aren't capable of recognising the Pobox trick!

 

[NotPhilips]

Yes, they are stupid, and basically don't give a sh*t.
Years ago when I had my business, I used to do mail order.
I sent a parcel to a customers PO box, which was returned saying that PO box number did not belong to the person named on the parcel.
I checked the customers printed order form and yes I had written the right PO box number
I rang the post office concerned and explained the situation and asked if they had a PO box for a person by that name
Their answer, they hadn't checked because that wasn't their job. Really, top marks for initiative.
I had to wait until an irate customer contacted me about the non receival of the goods. Turned out she had put 61 instead of 16 on her mail order form. Had to send a copy to her to prove her mistake.
Still think AustPost could have had enough initiative to check before they sent a rather large parcel all the way back from NSW to WA. Guess they're not paid to think.

Did your order form not include the customer's phone number? It's been a required field every time I've ordered anything.

 

[mylittletibbies]

Did your order form not include the customer's phone number? It's been a required field every time I've ordered anything.

No, no phone number. This was over 30 years ago.

 

[Ezzy]

Austpost in W.A. are constantly sending out messages advising people to get a free to use PARCEL LOCKER for their parcel. They state there are different sizes for different sized parcels.

For a householder, a lot can depend on where the Depot is located given that so many Post Offices have been closed now.

 

[Catherines]

I realise it takes an employee’s time, and in my case the time (therefore wages also) of 8 employees to respond to me over 1 hour plus, and perhaps the time of the irate purchaser enquiring where his parcel is; surely they have, or all on-line sellers need to have, a simple line in their order form requesting a phone number in case of these sorts of mistakes where someone has not received their package.

I will continue to check our bank account everyday, as we normally do now, to make sure this has not been deducted or somehow a larger amount scammed from it. I still feel sorry for the purchaser if it was a genuine mistake and the intended receiver was expecting a Christmas gift he did not receive in time.