<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Millions of Australian online </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/shopping" rel="" target="_blank" title="shoppers"><span>shoppers</span></a><span> are being targeted by brazen "porch pirates", according to fresh research.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Porch piracy – also known as package theft – is on the rise as more and more Australian households opt for deliveries including food and retail purchases.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A survey of 1011 people by </span><a href="https://www.finder.com.au/" rel="" target="_blank" title="Finder"><span>Finder</span></a><span> discovered one in five, the equivalent of 4.1 million Australians, have had a parcel stolen or lost in the past year.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/north-macedonia-nightclub-fire-dozens-killed-in-massive-fire-in-kocani/f10d5a4a-0263-4861-92c0-e2e028045d77" target="_blank"><strong><span>'I don't need my life anymore': Nation rocked by worst tragedy in memory</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Of those surveyed, seven per cent said they had a parcel stolen from under their noses at their home after it had already been delivered.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Another six per cent said their delivery was sent to the wrong address, while five per cent said the mail was simply "lost in transit".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The average value of missing packages amounts to $145, equating to around $606 million in lost packages over 12 months.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/porch-pirates-millions-of-australians-have-packages-stolen-from-home-lost-or-not-delivered/0f73f64c-607b-4e22-ab85-2285ec41bcc8" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The financial toll is significant, with losses running into the millions each year – not to mention the inconvenience for consumers," Finder personal finance specialist Taylor Blackburn said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Opportunistic thieves are seizing the chance to snatch unattended packages."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/el-salvador-new-terrorist-prison-opens-human-rights-criticisms-first-prisoners-arrive/ff983c9c-1b3e-450e-b975-046838dc1c22" target="_blank"><strong><span>Inside the brutal foreign prison where Trump is sending 'criminals'</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-crash-menai-father-flees/f6b0098e-ebab-4bc8-9dcc-4fc9e77a6be7" target="_blank"><strong><span>Search for dad who rolled his ute, extracted kids and fled</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Gen Z shoppers, aged between 13 and 28, are the unluckiest in the bunch, Finder's research found.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>About 30 per cent of this generation reported lost or stolen parcels in the past year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Blackburn said households can arm themselves against porch pirates with security cameras, by tracking parcels or adding specific instructions for delivery drivers.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If your goods are stolen, all is not lost. If you paid with a credit card, you may be entitled to a refund if your card has purchase protection," Blackburn added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Most retail items you buy for yourself are covered, such as clothing, jewellery, laptops or art."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Opportunistic porch pirates are also targeting grocery deliveries.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Police are investigating after an Adelaide woman shared footage of a man appearing to </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/man-sought-allegedly-stole-woolworths-delivery-from-womans-doorstep-adelaide/798c1502-44b3-4f48-94df-69b330568db9" rel="" target="_blank" title="take her $170 Woolworths delivery from her doorstep last week."><span>take her $170 Woolworths delivery from her doorstep last week.</span></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I was inside the house with my baby and opened the door 2 minutes after he left!" the woman said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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