12/07/18 – The holidays are officially here, and you know what that means: Piracy is about to kick into high gear.

But these pirates aren’t cruising the waters of the Caribbean searching for treasure. They’re riding around your neighborhood, looking for packages to snatch from porches.

More Americans — spurred on by a strong economy and free shipping deals offered by retailers — are doing their holiday shopping online this year. That means more packages to be delivered and more tempting targets for thieves.

Almost 26 million Americans (or about 8 percent of the US population) say they’ve had a package stolen from a porch or doorstep during the holidays, according to a 2017 survey from InsuranceQuotes.com.

That translates to a lot of sad faces on Christmas morning. So here’s what you can do to stop porch pirates from running off with your packages and what to do if they are stolen. Read more at Fox 4 Kansas City