This Holiday Season: Porch Piracy is Back!

These people drive around neighborhoods all day long, following Amazon, Purolator, and UPS vans. Their favorite tactic is to wait in the afternoon, and quickly steal a package from your doorstep.

Porch Piracy, or stealing, is on the rise again. The majority of these people operate on the fringes of society: Drug addicts, homeless, and people with no conscience. 

The easiest way to deal with these people is to have your items delivered to a secure mailbox. You can often request this from Amazon with just a single mouse click.

Stella Smith, from Lansing, Michigan, said "It's been ages since I had something stolen from my house. I knew they were suspicious when I saw them go door to door one afternoon with packages under their arms."

Stella, 45, from Lansing, had some expensive makeup and theatrical paint stolen a few years ago. "It was $200 worth of products, and I still feel angry about it." she told Stone News Network.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Angle, 50, in Chicago almost caught one at his doorway. "This dude must have been 6 foot 1, skinny, and riding a bicycle. He quickly snatched a box which had my business cards in them. What he did with them, I'll never know." 

I asked Jeremy if this was the first time he had a package stolen from his house. He shrugged his shoulders and said "No. Unfortunately I also had some expensive tools taken last year."

We mentioned using secure mailboxes like Amazon suggests, and he did look at this option - but it costs $500 a year for some areas of the United States of America.

I asked Jeremy  how he almost caught him. "I started running and reached for his jacket. Unfortunately, a bicycle is much faster than my feet, and he got away."

Pursuing the thieves is not suggested. These people can potentially be dangerous and may have knives or weapons on themselves. 

In some famous videos on Youtube, captured by Ring and other doorbell cameras, a hilarious combination of package thieves get their faces on the top 10 news feature. 

These people have no morals. They simply take what's not theirs and sell it to whoever wants it. This is the law of survival. Take or get taken.

Another option is to have your package delivered to your workplace. It's more difficult for porch piracy to occur here, mainly because the floors and doors are secure in most office buildings. This is how most people get their purchases delivered today.

People think that this kind of theft doesn't hurt anyone. But you couldn't be more wrong. Amazon will rarely give you another item if it's stolen from your doorstep. Think of your mail delivery as a bicycle. Would you leave it outside, unlocked, just for someone to steal?

And never leave packages or bags in your vehicle, no matter where you are. This is the #1 place where thieves go to when you're out shopping for gifts. We ran into a young woman a few years ago in Halifax, Nova Scotia who lost a brand new laptop to a thief. "I left it in my car just for a few minutes!" she told me. I felt sorry for her. But what could she do? Absolutely nothing. She lost over $1,000 on that package theft - not including the damage to her vehicle.

This year, stay safe this holiday season.