California police department targets porch pirates with decoy packages
49M Americans nationwide had at least 1 package stolen over the past year
A police department in California is trying to nab porch pirates this holiday season with decoy packages.
The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety announced on social media last week that it placed several decoy packages outside of homes throughout the city, which is located in the Santa Clara Valley.
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"Porch pirates beware, you never know what’s inside that package you’re trying to steal!" the department wrote on Twitter next to an image of a decoy package. "Steal a package and you may end up with more than what you wanted."
"Free rides to jail offered daily," police warned.
The notice comes amid the peak holiday shopping season when consumers fill their virtual carts even more.
During last year's holiday season, porch piracy went up by 7%, according to a survey conducted by C+R Research.
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But the thefts didn't stop after the holidays.
Over the past 12 months, 49 million Americans nationwide had at least one package stolen, according to a new survey by Security.org.
The survey results revealed that the majority of thefts occurred in Alaska followed by Delaware, Nevada and New York.
Comparatively, Maine, Wisconsin, Alabama and Georgia had the lowest rates of theft, making those states the safest spots for delivery.
Fox News' Brie Stimson contributed to this report.