(NewsNation Now) — As holiday mail deliveries continue to pile up on doorsteps, police are warning of thieves who might see an unaccompanied package as a business opportunity.

A NewsNation survey conducted by Decision Desk HQ found that 16.7% of people have had a package stolen, while another 30.5% knew someone who had. Although police have their ways of identifying and apprehending the suspects, the stolen goods rarely are recovered, Arlington Police Officer Jesse Minton said. According to Minton, the less time a package is left unattended the less of an opportunity there is for it to be stolen.

“This time of a year is a hot time for porch pirates because they’re patrolling just like we are looking for that freebie or that thing they can get,” Jesse Minton said.

Earlier this year, Minton’s team arrested a man who they say went on a months-long pirating spree across north Texas.

Earlier this month, officers in Detroit discovered more than three dozen stolen packages after stopping a vehicle as part of a hit-and-run crash investigation.

“It’s one of those things where it can happen at any time. Whether you’re home or not,” Minton said.

Thieves who steal packages before they’re brought inside – sometimes known as porch pirates – are looking for a valuable payoff. Opening a stolen box and discovering an expensive watch or laptop further encourages the act, but sometimes what’s inside only has value to the person who originally was meant to receive it, Minton said.

“One thing that was really frustrating in some of the cases I’ve seen is they’re stealing things they don’t even want,” Minton said. “They almost have no value. It might be your dog’s medication. It might be some piece that you ordered for something you’re working on that wouldn’t work anywhere else but somebody stole it and now you have to start all over again if you can find another one.”

To keep your packages safe, police recommend signing up for delivery notifications and considering having orders sent to your workplace or a neighbor who you know will be home.

Residents also can invest in surveillance systems or door cameras and sign up for apps like Nextdoor to communicate with neighbors who can send out an alert if packages start to go missing.