I once got a call from (supposedly) UPS saying they had a package with a damaged label and they were checking to see if they had the address right. They basically confirmed my name and address - nothing more than that. No package ever came and it turned out to be a Private Investigator hired by the ex-husband of a woman I was dating at the time.
There is no certainty here. There’s a woman who received a call about a package being delivered that may or may not be phony, which may or may not be followed up with an actual person attempting to deliver, which they may not have evidence of an actual crime committed to arrest anyway if he does. Plus there’s the very likely possibility (to them) that the woman is just paranoid. Based on the evidence presented so far in this thread, I don’t think she is paranoid, but that’s what it could sound like to the cops.
Cops need evidence that a crime was committed in order to make arrests, they don’t go around waiting for people who might be about to commit a crime unless it’s a very serious one like murder.
This is the most rational advice given in this thread so far. If you’re at home when they come, just tell them you can’t take the package right now and if it’s at all legitimate you can simply pick it up at their office later. If they’re phony, possible fraud averted. Win-win.
If, as I suggested, the package was being sent via Fedex Home Delivery, you may not be able to pick it up at the depot. (A few months ago I ordered a computer from Dell. When I missed the delivery the first day, I called to see if I could get it from the depot, as it’s convenient to me. I was told that this was not an option for their home delivery service.)
It can depend on the route. Some trucks don’t get back to the depot until after it’s closed, but some do. She’d have to call and find out after getting the door tag. It’s possible that Dell has a policy where they don’t allow pick-ups, too.
pbbth, did they call you at work? that seems odd. Maybe it’s Publisher’s Clearing House making sure you’ll be home to collect your big check. 
They called my cell phone and I happened to have my foot against my purse so I felt it vibrate and answered it, which I normally wouldn’t do but it was really incredibly slow today. If it is Publisher’s Clearing House I will totally throw an awesome Dopefest and provide free drinks and pie to all who attend.
I will be back to this thread tomorrow morning with the rest of the story about my mystery package and potential robbery!
What time should we start to worry, if we don’t hear from you?
The one thing that puzzles me is how they got your cell phone number, if they’re not legit. And they knew your address, or at least they didn’t ask for your address. Would a scammer know your cell number and your name and address?
pbbth, if you are getting the same bad weather I am, your robbers may just skip the attempt. As odd as it sounds, criminals are fairly lazy people who don’t like being inconvenienced (like by trodding through 6-12 inches of snow) to steal money/stuff.
If you feel they may want you personally for work access keys/codes or if they want your body, then yeah. Be worried.
Be on your guard tomorrow, and make sure your doorman/super has a ‘heads-up’. Don’t buzz Anybody in. If your doorbell rings for a package (because somebody else buzzed 'em in) don’t even go to the door. Dial your super (a few steps away) as well as 911
(a few blocks away) and don’t let the people at the door know you are home.
Actually, do you really have to be home tomorrow? If not, then why be in the one place they expect you to be when you can be in about a million places they don’t?
Sounds like a good excuse for a breakfast/shopping/lunch-with-friends/museum/dinner-at-a-restaurant/sleep over at a GF’s place Saturday to me. Remember: Calories don’t count when you are dodging criminals. 
“Don’t forget to dress in layers and wear your hat, your gloves & your boots.”
“Yes, Daaaaaad…”
“You know I worry.”
rolleyes
Wish Loach would have checked in on this thread though…
You know, somehow I don’t think criminals are in need of important health insurance information so I don’t think they want my work stuff and there has got to be a better way to get chicks than to go through this whole process so that much I am not worried about. Besides, I think I may have solved this particular mystery! Of course I didn’t do it before my boyfriend trudged through the snow to the train to come up here and protect me and the kitties from robbers, but it may have been solved none the less.
I specifically told my family that all packages should be sent to my work address so I didn’t think anyone in my family would send anything to my home. Then I started thinking about this Curma Properties and it dawned on my that my grandpa’s name is Curtis and my grandma’s name is Irma. Of course this didn’t occur to me this morning because their names are Grandma and Grandpa as far as I am concerned. :smack: They used to own a business but have since retired and their business was never called Curma Properties, but this was enough to have me call my mom and ask if they are sending a package to my house despite my request to send it to my work. She said that yeah, they sent a package to my apartment because they thought it would be too big to carry on the subway and yes, they have another business they’ve started here in the last month or so. Apparently traveling around the world has gotten boring so they have started a part time business again. I am still going to be very cautious about this whole thing but this seems like it is probably a legit delivery. Then I will call my grandparents and thank them for the gift and tell them to please warn me if they are going to do something like this in the future!
Your grandparents are trying to rob you?
That’s a relief.
But now you’ve got to come back and let us know what your grandparents gave you. It better be good, considering all the stress you’ve gone through! 
Maybe a gun so she can protect herself if someone breaks in?
Its NY; pistol licenses are difficult, not sure if there’s 7-day wait on a shotgun. Mr Bloomberg is not a big fan of firearms.
Besides, its from her grandparents. And I don’t want to hear Scott & Todd singing:
Granma got blown over by a 12 gauge…!
tryin’ to sneak me presents for Christmas Eve.
You can say “that bastard isn’t Fed-Ex…!”
But I learned replacement hips don’t duck & weave…
Dreamy B, I think that you’re misreading. Why do you assume that they are taking the underwear?
More to the OP, however.
In my city, FedEx, and I think some others, hire local contractors during the holiday season. They don’t really have to be companies, basically people with delivery trucks.
What did you get?
And we still don’t know what it was? ::: sheesh ::::
Has anybody heard from Pbbth?
My question is, why would thieves set up an appointment to make sure you are home so they can come knock on your door and talk to you before they rob you? Wouldn’t they be more likely to want to rob your place when you AREN’T home?
And my second question is…whadya get?
Nope, the last thing we heard was something about putting the lotion in the basket and then the phone cut off. I’m sure that’s nothing.
As a tax payer, I’m just glad that the cops don’t set up stake outs every time some ditz is nervous about getting a package delivered.
My original thought was that they were calling to set up an appointment so that they could verify that I was at work and not home to protect my stuff.
As for what I got, I have no idea. They said they were bringing the package between 9 and 11 so at 12:30 I called and they said it hadn’t been sent out and they would send it out between 5 and 6. At 7 I called and their office was closed. So apparently I can’t get my package until after the holidays now.
And I never wanted them to stake out my apartment, hajario. I wanted them to check out the number they called from and see if it was legitimately a FedEx number like I said in an earlier post. If it wasn’t they could have taken it from there and if it was they could have forgotten all about my call.