YOUNGSTOWN - They’ve become known as “porch pirates”, thieves who take advantage of increased online shopping to walk up to your porch and walk away with packages left there.

Now with more people returning to the workplace in the post-pandemic world, there are fewer people at home when deliveries arrive.

While Americans are well aware of shopping holidays and online sale events such as Prime Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and year-end sales, so are porch pirates.

A porch piracy study commissioned by Security.org found that 49 million Americans have had at least one package stolen in the past 12 months.

The study found that 18% of Ohioans have had a package stolen over the past year. The median value of the packages stolen in Ohio was $40 according to the report.  The study found that 16% of Pennsylvania residents have had a package stolen during the same period with a median value of $43.

The most recent study shows that porch piracy is on the rise as workers return to the office. Nearly 1 in 4 (23 percent) of the respondents say that they’ve had a package stolen in the three months leading up to March 2022, beating the previous peak in December 2020.

Porch piracy is a crime of opportunity that rarely ends in arrest, according to Security.org.  Unless a home has security systems, the police often have little evidence to follow.

One of the studies found that those who didn’t have a doorbell camera or security system were less likely to report porch piracy. Out of all the respondents that reported the incident, only 19 percent owned a doorbell camera.

On the other hand, 44 percent of those who reported to police owned a doorbell camera and likely had enough evidence. However, even apprehended thieves often evade severe punishment, with the crime falling through cracks in the law, according to Security.org.

Protecting your deliveries

Enhance your security measures: Doorbell cameras let you monitor your porch from anywhere via your phone, or home security systems can enable professionals to handle that for you. Not only can these measures deter pirates, they can also help apprehend them by creating video evidence of any suspicious activities.

Choose secure delivery locations: As workers return to the office, it’s important to select secure delivery locations for parcels that will arrive when you’re not home. The office mailroom is a popular and safe delivery choice for many, but there are other security options available. Smart security boxes for your porch keep packages from sitting in the open.

Amazon shoppers have several options, including Amazon Key, an in-home delivery option that gives drivers limited access to your garage or home through a compatible smart lock or garage door controller. However, with Amazon shutting down support for the Amazon Cloud Cam — the camera originally made to monitor in-home deliveries — you’ll need a secondary camera to record deliveries for your protection. If you have a neighbor or nearby family member who is always home, you can always route delivery to them instead.

Schedule shipments carefully: Most services let you choose a delivery window so you can schedule drop-offs when you'll be home. Alternatively, precision package tracking lets you arrange your errands around a driver's arrival. If you're unsure about timing, you can always require a signature for a delivery or add detailed instructions to a safer spot on your property so parcels aren't left unguarded.