GOLDEN, Colo. — Nancy Kaatz gets plenty of packages delivered to her doorstep at her home in Golden.
"I hate going shopping," she said. "I just immediately just go on Amazon, look it up, order it. So, I have it. It's easy."
But last Friday was a first.
Kaatz's home security video shows an Amazon delivery driver, who was delivering a package she ordered, try her garage door keypad. The driver then goes to her front door, enters the code and leave her package inside the entry. There's only one problem.
"We would never give out the codes. I mean, it's just not our nature," she said. "I have no idea how they got the code."
Kaatz immediately called Amazon customer service, and the story got even more bizarre.
"They told me there was no such instruction [to deliver inside]. And there was no code on the account," said Kaatz, who was so concerned, she filed an online police report with Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
After some research, Amazon told Kaatz that there was, in fact, a door code attached to her account, but would not confirm when it was added or which code was used.
"I didn't like it at all. That's why I contacted you guys because I thought people need to know about this," she said.
In a statement to Contact Denver7, an Amazon spokeswoman wrote, “We’ve apologized to the customer for this highly unusual situation. We’re still investigating the circumstances, but learned that another customer at the same address provided the access code. We’ll continue to stay in touch with the customer and ensure the partner this driver works for receives coaching about Amazon's delivery policies."
Turns out, according to Kaatz, Amazon discovered that years ago, a family member's business account, which had been closed and re-opened, had the door code on the delivery instructions, and it apparently stayed connected to Kaatz's address for all these years.
In a similar story, an Amazon customer in Houston last year said she was surprised Amazon had her door code.
"This speaks to revoking permissions. The issue is always tracking what permissions are given to whom or to which device," said Steve Beaty, a cybersecurity expert with Metropolitan State University Denver.
Beaty said he periodically reviews permissions granted to make sure he is comfortable with the current level of permissions, but he said the story also leaves questions for Amazon to answer.
"If somebody has access to your house, they should have a signed or at least a piece of email at some point that you clicked and said, 'Yes, I'm willing to do this,'" said Beaty.
Amazon's statement indicated that the driver did not follow policy by using the listed door code to enter the home without specific instructions to do so. Still, Kaatz said that she is not taking any chances.
"We've obviously disconnected our keypad on the front door," said Kaatz. "So everything's being changed. And I think it's important for others to be aware."
Editor's note: Denver7 seeks out audience tips and feedback to help people in need, resolve problems and hold the powerful accountable. If you know of a community need we can address or have a story idea for our consumer investigates team to pursue, please email us at contact7@denver7.com or or call (303) 832-7777. Find more Contact Denver7 stories here. You can also use the form below to request help from Jaclyn Allen and the Contact Denver7 Team.
