How to protect your deliveries from getting stolen by porch pirates

As the holiday season approaches, the excitement of gift-giving can quickly turn into anxiety over package theft. With porch pirates on the prowl, your carefully delivered gifts can vanish right from your doorstep. In 2023 alone, a staggering 119 million packages were reported stolen, meaning one in every 180 deliveries disappeared into thin air. 

Cities like Seattle, Memphis and San Diego have become hot spots for these unfortunate heists.

If you’ve ever found yourself racing home to rescue a package, asking neighbors to keep an eye out or, worst of all, falling victim to these sneaky thieves, you’re not alone. But don’t worry! We’ve got some tips that could save you from the holiday headache of package theft. Let’s dive in.

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Tip 1: Get security cameras

First things first, consider installing security cameras around your home. Having a good camera system can really make a difference when it comes to deterring those sneaky thieves. Depending upon how well your police department responds to porch pirate package theft, position your video doorbell to capture the face of the pirate and your package deliveries. A Video Doorbell can push notifications to get a phone alert whenever anyone or anything approaches your door, even if they don’t ring the doorbell.

Also, you might want to consider adding a couple of nearly invisible wireless cameras on tree limbs near the street at your house. We did it in hopes of being able to record a license plate if ever needed for police. I can set them to send a notification when the camera detects a person or car.

When you’re shopping for cameras, look for high-resolution video so you can see everything clearly, even at night, with night vision capabilities. Motion detection is a must. It’ll alert you if someone gets too close to your front door. Plus, two-way audio lets you talk to anyone at your door, whether it’s a delivery person or someone who shouldn’t be there. And don’t forget about cloud storage. This way, you can easily access footage whenever you need it. Check out my top picks for the six best outdoor security cameras.

Pro tip: If your camera has the feature, set your video camera to notify you when it identifies packages within view.

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Image of a doorbell camera (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Tip 2: Use tracking…