Written by Tanya Terry, with photos courtesy of Amazon Public Relations
Recent national surveys cited by Reviews.com estimated that roughly 25–35% of U.S. adults experienced package theft in the past 12 months!
Fortunately, Amazon has been partnering with the National Sheriffs’ Association, a network of more than 3,000 sheriffs across the U.S., which adopted Genesee County Sheriff’s Office IGNITE program. The partnership between Amazon and the Sheriff’s Association is part of a nationwide effort to raise awareness about proactive steps Americans can take to protect your packages during the holiday season and year round.
“We’re just working with them to get our message on porch piracy and how customers can protect their packages in an effort to hopefully lower the amount of porch pirating that does occur so that it can help law enforcement to work on more urgent issues to keep the community safer,” stated Sharyn Ghacham, Amazon spokesperson, to the Courier.
Ghacham elaborated by saying the sheriffs are sharing Amazon’s message on how they can protect their packages in various places, such as on social media.
Porch piracy is the act of stealing packages left on a porch or near a doorstep before the recipient can retrieve them.104 million packages have been stolen already this year, in 2025, according to a SafeWise report from November 2025. This number represents an estimated $15 billion in losses, and it amounts to nearly 250,000 packages stolen every day!
Although the total number of stolen packages has decreased by approximately 16 million incidents compared to 2024, SafeWise noted that porch piracy is not necessarily becoming less common, but instead may be changing in nature.
Ghacham noted that within the Amazon app, to help protect against porch piracy, consumers are able to edit their preferences. One example of a preference a shopper is able to opt into is map tracking.
“You can do this through the app, or on Amazon.com,” said Ghacham. “You can track your package in real time when it’s up for delivery. This is great because when your package arrives, you can quickly retrieve it, and that will lower the chances of it getting stolen.
“Another way is through your delivery instructions, you can actually specify a hidden drop off location to keep packages out of view. So, basically, if you wanted to place your package behind a planter on your porch, or a bench, or whatever it is, you could put in your notes to put the package there so it’s hiding, and it’s out of sight.”
Amazon also has 25,000 pick up locations throughout the U.S. So, consumers can arrange to pick up packages from participating retail spaces that are participating in having Amazon lockers.
Other ideas for reducing risk of porch piracy are:
- Getting proof of your package’s arrival with Photo-on-Delivery
- Selecting a designated delivery day through Amazon Day, if you have Amazon Prime
- Sharing tracking details with friends and family through Amazon Share Tracking, which is available in the Amazon mobile app or on the desktop site. Then, consider having them pick up your package if you aren’t home.
- Installing a home security device
- Delivering to your garage with Amazon Key-In Garage Delivery, if you have Amazon Prime
- Checking if there’s a delivery window, which will usually be for between 2-4 hours
Ghacham noted that consumers are also able to leverage their ring for package alerts, if they have ring cameras and subscriptions. Two-way talk is also available with delivery drivers when using the cameras.
Ring cameras are available at many major department stores nationwide, at electronic retailers, as well at Amazon.com.
If packages are stolen, customers should call the police to report the crime. Then, Ghacham advised they reach out to the Amazon Customer Service Team through the Amazon app, or the Amazon.com website. Both are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
Package theft is not an Amazon isolated issue. It can be an issue for any company that offers delivery of packages.
On a positive note, Ghacham noted the vast majority of orders arrive to their intended recipient without any issues.
“Through the holidays, we do a lot of seasonal hiring. So, we have a ton more people on staff. So, with more orders happening, there are some people on site to be able to take care of that.”
For more information, visit aboutAmazon.com.
