A man who thought he had found a smart way to protect a new phone from thieves instead learned that even a so-called safe drop is not foolproof. According to Eyewitness News, the customer chose to have his smartphone delivered to a secure pickup location rather than left on his doorstep, only to have it stolen before he could ever get his hands on it.
The victim was well known in his line of work. Peter Cicinas, described as a popular DJ for hire, said he was dumbfounded by what happened after he ordered the phone to be dropped off at his local CVS in his name, a step meant to keep it out of the reach of so-called porch pirates.
He had even paid a little more for the added security. Cicinas said he shelled out an extra $7.99 for the safe drop option, believing the fee would guarantee that only he would be able to collect the package once it arrived at the store.
Instead, someone else walked away with it. According to the report, a suspect who appeared to present identification was handed the phone at the counter, a breakdown that allowed an impostor to claim a device that had been reserved in Cicinas's name.
The timeline left little doubt about how fast it happened. Cicinas pointed to notices from UPS showing that the phone was dropped off and then picked up less than two hours later, meaning the device was gone almost as soon as it had arrived at the store.
His attempts to get answers initially went nowhere. Cicinas said he reported the theft to police and alerted UPS, CVS and T-Mobile, the carrier that shipped the smartphone, but that the response from the companies and investigators amounted to little more than silence.
The situation shifted once the case drew public attention through the station's consumer unit. Afterward, CVS apologized for his experience and said it was working with the local store team to prevent similar situations, while T-Mobile issued a full refund and said it would work with CVS and other partners to better protect customer orders. Consumers were also advised to require a signature for deliveries and to ask about PIN verification as an added safeguard.