Booking image for 22-year-old Ozcan Rodriguez Okur Junior (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)
TAMPA, Fla. - Rather than delivering purchases to Amazon customers for the holidays, a delivery driver was arrested by Hillsborough County deputies for stealing them.
Deputies said 22-year-old Ozcan Rodriguez Okur Jr. stolen $890 in items and gift cards from Amazon packages he was responsible for delivering to customers. The crimes occurred between October 24 and November 27, officials said.
According to the sheriff’s office, Rodriguez Okur would mark those items as “missing” during his route. Those items included $250 in gift cards that he loaded into his personal Amazon account, deputies said.
However, they were canceled before he could use it. An investigation led deputies to Rodriguez Okur. They said after he was arrested Wednesday, he admitted to stealing the gift cards, a Ring camera, Apple AirPods, and a Playstation game.
"We tell people all the time how to protect themselves from porch pirates, but it's especially upsetting when the person responsible for delivering the package to your doorstep takes advantage of your trust and the trust of their company," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "We are thankful that all of the victims in this case were reimbursed by Amazon and that our deputies were able to take Rodriguez Okur off of the streets before he could pull another Grinch-like move and steal from anyone else this Christmas."
Chronister offered the following tips to online shoppers:
- Keep an electronic receipt for proof of purchase in order to be reimbursed.
- Track your delivery closely online to know when it should arrive at your door.
- Check home surveillance cameras, such as Ring doorbells, if packages don't arrive. Video evidence often helps law enforcement track down thieves.