Wauwatosa father and son create product to ward off porch pirates

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WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A Wauwatosa father and son have come up with a new way to protect yourself from porch pirates this holiday season.

Scott and Dick Wiese invented the ShypSafe, a kind of smart-tech mailbox for delivery drivers to deposit packages in.

They’re using Amazon’s technology that allows drivers to unlock the container using an app on their phones.

If the package isn’t coming through Amazon, customers can put the lock code into the delivery instructions.

A motion-sensor camera then records the delivery, and sends a notification to the customer’s phone to watch live.

“You can have a smart camera on your front door…but it doesn’t prevent someone from looking at the camera, taking the package and walking away anyway,” Scott Wiese said.

A ShypSafe costs at least $250, but there are alternatives available of similar products.

Austin Robb, a homeowner in Bay View who’s had packages stolen, is intrigued by the concept.

“It’s a problem,” he said. “I know it’s starting again, so anything to deter that would be awesome.”

Amazon didn’t immediately return our message asking about the ShypSafe and its technology.

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