Your Consumer Health: Porch pirates steal convenience along with packages

It's been a long day and you arrive home expecting to find several packages at your doorstep, items that you specially ordered online for home delivery. But they aren't anywhere to be found! Then you check your doorbell camera only to find that someone came to your porch and made off with every single one.

Congratulations! You have just joined the estimated 36% of Americans who, as last reported in 2024, suffered pilferage of items sent via delivery services such as FedEx and UPS in the aggregate amount of $12 billion.

These so-called "porch pirates" can operate individually or as part of a much larger criminal ring, but regardless of the size of the enterprise, significant losses are being inflicted on both consumers and product manufacturers. As you would likely expect, Christmastime sees a significant upswing in porch package theft simply because consumers are preparing for the upcoming holidays. At other times of the year, would-be pirates follow FedEx or Amazon trucks until they make deliveries judged to be a good bet for theft, then spring into action. The problem has become so acute that an insurance company, PorchPals, offers a policy to cover consumers for up to three stolen packages, up to a value of $2,000 each, and at a premium cost of $120 per year.

Last November, it appeared that AT&T Apple iPhones delivered by FedEx were part of a seemingly coordinated theft from porches across the country, thus triggering a special alarm among law enforcement officials. Doorbell camera images of these thefts were extremely telling. In most cases, the FedEx employee dropped off the package and, not long afterward, the thief, sometimes dressed in an Amazon delivery worker uniform, arrived and took the iPhone package off the porch. In a few cases, the FedEx driver and thief actually passed each other in the process. At the time, police officials noted that the culprits operated with an assertiveness that was impossible to explain, but all that changed in early 2025.

As a result of an ongoing investigation, law enforcement authorities discovered an international crime syndicate that targeted FedEx deliveries across the country, with a special emphasis on AT&T iPhones. It turned out that the criminals managed to create software that allowed entry into the FedEx computer system where tracking numbers could be stolen. This was accompanied by an aggressive campaign to bribe FedEx employees into providing the order details for individual tracking numbers, along with delivery addresses.

With this information, the criminals could discern which packages contained the iPhones and dispatch runners to intercept the deliveries. The U.S. operation was taken down by authorities last month after the central point of the ring was identified as operating out of a small repair store in New York City. While the 13 individuals who managed these iPhone thefts were arrested, many more individuals who served as runners were not.

In light of this threat, what remains for consumers is to take whatever reasonable actions are available to protect delivered packages from porch pirates. The first measure to mention is a home security system, or more directly, a doorbell camera that records front porch activity and which will provide video of offenders that can be provided to local law enforcement officers. And, while the convenience of having an item delivered to your home is an overwhelming incentive, some of the available alternatives for protecting your property infringe on, or even eliminate, that advantage.

For instance, you can require a signature for delivery, but that means someone over the age of 18 must be home to accept the package, not to mention payment of a $7-10 fee for this service. In some large urban areas, such as in Washington, D.C., police precincts allow Amazon to place secure lockers within the station where customers can have deliveries sent for later pickup. Private companies may also offer private locker services for daily delivery of packages, but the availability may not be geographically convenient or cost effective.

Lastly, consider for a moment the value of "convenience" relative to the delivery of your packages and whether the expenditure of a little time and/or a few dollars are worth your "security and peace of mind." While consumer consideration of this point will likely be relative to the cost and value of the ordered item, my parting advice is simple. If you plan to purchase an iPhone from AT&T, and FedEx is delivering it, then pay for that signature delivery service and make certain someone is home to accept the package.