“Porch pirates” stole $12 billion in goods in the last year alone. Here’s what you can do.

Package thieves, often called “porch pirates,” pose a growing threat to online shoppers.

Over the past year, criminals have stolen some $12 billion worth of goods delivered to people’s homes, according to data from Security.org, which reviews security products. Security camera footage shows thieves running off with packages delivered to a home or even brazenly posing as a homeowner to accept an item directly from the delivery person. 

“He just took your package,” a Fedex delivery person said in one clip of a thief making off with a package that had been deposited on a recipient’s doorstep only seconds earlier.

“I saw a man, grabs the package, and exits stage left,” Illinois resident Don Archer told CBS News of his own brush with a porch pirate. In Archer’s case, footage captured by a doorbell security camera eventually led to the thief’s arrest. 

Not everyone is as fortunate. “I know of at least four houses that got packages taken,” Archer noted.

Porch pirate insurance

That’s where PorchPals comes in. For $120 a year, the company will reimburse consumers for up to three stolen packages worth as much as $2,000 each.

PorchPals CEO James Moore said the claims process is simple. Members need to answer a handful of questions, including what was stolen, and provide the company with a receipt and shipping tracking number. The coverage covers all sorts of deliveries, from groceries to furniture and electronics. 

Moore noted that it can be easier for criminals to steal from others’ homes, versus stores. 

“It’s not always a seasoned criminal or crime ring. Sometimes it’s just an opportunity — there is a Christmas gift on someone’s porch, and it could be someone playing a cruel joke,” he told CBS MoneyWatch. “Other times, an actual crime ring follows FedEx trucks or gets a list of Apple iPhones being delivered on a certain day to certain places.” 

Consumers can foil porch pirates by having their purchases sent to UPS stores, while Amazon allows customers of the e-commerce giant to have packages shipped to the closest Whole Foods location. 

Some local police precincts are even accepting residents’ packages, including in Washington, D.C., where people can have deliveries sent to lockers at the station provided by Amazon.

“It’s a good idea — it doesn’t cost your city anything,” Sylvan Altieri, assistant chief with the Metropolitan Police Department, told CBS News. “It gives a relief to the consumers and your citizens who want this, and you’re not taxing manpower or anything like that.”