Authorities send warning of porch pirates ahead of holiday season

Tons of Black Friday deals have gone online and with Cyber Monday around the corner, at least 56% of shoppers plan to purchase items entirely online. But, one thing to beware of this holiday season is porch pirates.

Neighbors on the east side of Denver say they feel nervous shopping online after falling victim to porch pirate thieves.

Some say it is sad to see this become their new reality.

Sheri Mounteer, in Denver, had a package stolen just a few days ago.

"I am feeling very vulnerable that someone was up on my porch when I was home and stealing stuff from me," Mounteer said.

The ring doorbell video shows a man pulling up to her doorstep and then running away with one package frantically after hearing her dog bark.

"it was my dog Hannah that saved the day and he only got one of my packages," Mounteer added.

Although she says she didn't have anything of value inside the package the suspect took, it's these actions that worry her.

"I live in a decent neighborhood, so it is kind of scary," Mounteer added.

Many people in the neighborhood share the same fear. Erick Stragand, who lives in Montclair is a concerned neighbor.

"It happens almost every year. It is almost like it's the snow, like here comes the snow, here comes the porch pirates," Stragand added.

Stragand almost fell victim to this, too, last week.

"At 5:14 am our video alarm went off, somebody just walked up to our door, looked at our mailbox and turned away and left, what it reminded me of is...Here we go again," Stragand expressed.

Luckily, his mailbox was empty, but he worries this is a sign of what's to come.

"They so casually steal from people's porches like the same as anybody else would press the button at the crosswalk, disappointed at the reality of that," Stragand said.

Police recommend using lockers for deliveries or asking shipping companies to place packages on the side of the home or somewhere less obvious to prevent theft.

Shoppers will spend an estimated 51% of their holiday budgets this weekend online, that's according to a survey by the consulting firm, Deloitte. Last year, the online shopping number was about 49%.

Police say to be vigilant of these pirates and be sure to report any thefts.