Porch Pirate Leaves Nasty 'Thank You' Note For St. Paul Victim

ST. PAUL, MN — Porch pirates, known for stealing packages especially during the holiday season, have officially reached a new low. It's not enough for them to take gifts that don't belong to them.

These Scrooges are now leaving behind sarcastic and nasty "thank you" notes.

On Dec. 11, Hillary Smith — a St. Paul resident — was notified that a package was delivered to her home on the 800 block of Watson Avenue. When she got home from work around 5 p.m., the package was missing.

In its place was a "thank you" note from the porch pirate.

"So just a quick little thank you for leaving me the opportunity of stealing your package," the taunting note reads. "Very nice of you. Thank you, the new owner of your package."

"Unbelievable," St. Paul police commented about the note.

"It's creepy and I'm mad," Smith told the Star Tribune. "It's brazen and arrogant."

There have been nearly 100 reported stolen packages since October in St. Paul, though the true number of cases is likely much higher.

Police say they're doing what they can to identify and arrest porch pirates this season, including using bait packages, but add that there's things residents can do as well.

Here are five things you can do to prevent a porch pirate from stealing your stuff:

• Require a signature for delivery
• Have package delivered to a trusted neighbor
• Have your package delivered to your work address
• Have your package delivered to an Amazon locker
• Have packages delivered to a neighborhood store