By Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready

The holiday season is by far the most popular time for porch pirates to strike. With many gifts bought online during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, all shapes and sizes of packages will arrive on doorsteps and porches in the next few weeks.

According to a recent C+R Research survey, 67 percent of Americans reported having stolen packages this year.

With 84 percent of Americans planning to have at least one package delivered this holiday season, knowing how to prevent theft and what to do if you become a victim of porch piracy is essential.

Even though most homeowners and renters insurance provide coverage for theft, it is best to take additional precautions to protect your packages from thieves.

Filing a claim only makes sense for high-value items worth more than your policy’s deductible.

Here are some tips to help keep those porch pirates from stealing your holiday packages and what to do when your package is stolen:

• Ways to Protect Yourself. Consider Shipping Insurance Most postal services, courier companies and shipping companies sell shipping insurance.

Unfortunately, not all insurers will insure all goods. However, if you’re ordering high-value items online, you may purchase shipping insurance to ensure delivery.

• Give Specific Instructions Instead of having deliveries left unsecured at your front door, you can instruct drivers to leave a package at a back door, with a building superintendent, in a coded lockbox or with neighbors. You can also have deliveries on hold and request a specific delivery time. Most, but not all, of these services are free.

Install a Security Camera or Camera Doorbell Security cameras or video doorbells can also come in handy. The mere presence of these cameras or smart doorbells may be enough to ward off potential package thieves.

Even if it doesn’t, you’ll at least have evidence for a police report. Bonus: installing these cameras may qualify you for a homeowners insurance discount.

• Sign Up for Tracking Notifications Most carriers offer package tracking services and text or email alerts to let you know when a delivery will be made so that you can adjust your schedule accordingly. Sign up for text or email notifications to check your delivery status.

• What To Do If Your Package is Stolen Contact the Seller — File a claim with the seller and ask for a replacement.

• Contact the Shipping Company — File a claim with the postal service that shipped your package. FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL and Amazon have a claim-filing system to help you track down your package.

• Check Your Credit Card — Many credit cards have purchase protection that covers lost or stolen items. Make sure you use a credit card to purchase the item.

• File an Insurance Claim — Your homeowners or renters insurance may cover mail theft. Keep in mind—this may only be helpful if the item is worth more than your deductible.

For more information, please contact the Oklahoma Insurance Department at 1-800-522-0071 or visit our website at www.oid.ok.gov.