The frustration of stolen packages is all too familiar, especially during the holiday season.

Porch pirates continue to be a nuisance, with packages being stolen just seconds after delivery.

Last year alone, the U.S. Postal Service reported that more than 58 million packages were stolen.

Patricia Mineer of Lee County shared her experience.

“There’s not really a lot I could do about it, and at this stage of the game, I don’t want to waste time doing things or getting aggravated because I didn’t get it back,” she said.

Matt Clark from Minnesota felt that trying to get stolen packages back was a lost cause.

“You’d have to probably give them [law enforcement] your footage, and then maybe you catch their license plate, or maybe you don’t. You’re creating an enemy, too.”

While Clark hasn’t been the victim of porch pirates, he thought ahead about how to protect his packages while vacationing in Southwest Florida. 

“Having come down here for vacation, we did strategically not have packages delivered while we were down here, because we didn’t want them sitting outside our house while we were down here,” Clark added.

Mineer expressed her disappointment.

“I just wish that people didn’t resort to stealing,” she said. “Karma comes, and they’re going to escalate to something more, and then they’ll be in jail.”

The reality of porch piracy hits hard when people see the delivery photo of their package at their doorstep, but then find the package missing.

Amazon spokesperson Louie Tran emphasized the impact on families.

“We also understand that families sometimes have a tight budget, so this can be very traumatizing for them. We want to make sure that we’re proactively helping them to earn their trust and time,” Tran said.

To prevent package theft this holiday season, experts recommend tracking your packages in real time and turning on delivery alerts.

They also recommend choosing a hidden drop-off spot, shipping to a pickup locker or retail store like Walgreens or Whole Foods, and using a doorbell camera or motion-activated lights to deter thieves.

If your package does get stolen, contact law enforcement.

Amazon’s customer service department is ready to assist, and you can file a claim with the post office, UPS or FedEx.