While some of us are busy shopping online like Santa’s elves or buying gifts to celebrate Hanukkah, it’s also the time of the year when others get their Grinch on. But cops say three suspects in Massachusetts skipped going down chimneys to steal, and have instead been pulling a reverse St. Nick by swiping gifts from doorsteps moments after delivery trucks drop them off.

Police say three women followed a delivery truck and simply grabbed the packages that were delivered and set near a home’s front door. The woman who’d ordered the toys online were supposed to be gifts for her children.

“There’s lots of packages coming this time of year, probably one every couple days,” she told WBZ-TV via CBS Boston. That means plenty of opportunities for thieves to scoop free merchandise.

Luckily for the homeowner and others who perhaps could’ve been targets, the driver of the delivery vehicle was alert enough to tail the alleged thieves and get their license plate number. Cops then tracked down the suspects at another house, along with empty boxes that had held the toys.

Police believe the women had hit up other houses in the scheme as well.

“They (police) found another package at another location, an empty envelope from Amazon.com that listed a nearby address, so they had probably done more homes,” a detective said.

If you’re worried about disappearing packages, you can pick a shipping option that requires a signature, or have purchases sent directly to a shipping facility and pick them up at your convenience.

Thieves Caught Stealing Christmas Gifts From Stoneham Home [CBS Boston]

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