Your tracking says delivered, the porch is empty, and that mismatch is what people call porch piracy in the United States. It's treated as ordinary property theft. Retailers, carriers, and insurers each run a separate process, and a police report is often just a case number they want on a form. It's not a rescue team.
Do you call the cops first, or the store? Check the drop area before you file anything. Drivers leave boxes behind planters, at side doors, in garages, and with building staff. Ask a neighbor before you assume theft. You might spend twenty minutes crawling around the house, checking the garage, and pinging someone whose camera points at the sidewalk. That extra search is worth it.
Gather evidence before anyone asks for it
Build a timeline while details are still on your phone. Screenshot the tracking page that shows the delivered scan, the time stamp, and the driver photo if one exists.
Doorbell apps overwrite old video fast. Download the clip to a folder you control.
Write the tracking number, the order number, a description of the box, and what was inside with a rough value. You'll paste those same facts into every form.
Here's the set to copy once:
- Tracking screenshot with the delivered time
- Photos of the empty porch plus the carrier's photo
- Camera clip saved outside the app
- Receipt or item value and a contents list
How to file a police report for package theft
Use the non-emergency number or your city's online theft portal. Don't call 911 for a missing box.
Thing is, departments don't handle this the same way. Some take a phone report, others email a case number after you submit a form, and an officer often won't drive out for a low-value delivery.
Say it was a stolen delivery. Give the delivery address, the date, the time window from tracking, the carrier, the tracking number, what the item was, and the value. Mention video if you have it. Ask for the report number and a copy.
Keep that number. Insurers ask for it, a few carrier desks ask too, and even if a small loss is never investigated, the paper still records the event.
A police report does not replace a carrier claim
Carriers don't pay just because you called the police. You'll still need to open the seller's replacement request or the carrier claim.
Claims with Amazon, USPS, and FedEx
Start with the seller when you can. The company that took your money can reship or refund without a long carrier fight.
If Amazon sold or fulfilled the order, open Your Orders and report that it was marked delivered but you don't have it. Some support agents ask you to wait up to 24 hours after the delivered scan while they check GPS and courier logs. That pause is company process, not a law.
Turns out the person who paid for shipping is often the only one FedEx will let file a formal loss claim. You can still report the empty porch and a bad delivery photo. Ask the sender to open the claim.
| Carrier or seller | First practical step | Timing to watch |
|---|---|---|
| USPS | Confirm tracking, then use Missing Mail or file a domestic claim if the piece was insured or contents are missing | A Missing Mail request cannot be submitted until 7 days after mailing and is allowed up to 365 days; many claims for missing contents must be filed no later than 60 days after mailing |
| FedEx | Report delivered-not-received and ask the shipper to open a trace or claim | Domestic damage or missing-contents windows are commonly 60 days; read the service guide on your label |
| Amazon | Report through the order | Replacement or refund is a customer-service decision; save every screenshot |
A delivered scan is the carrier's main proof. A police report does not erase that scan.
Missing Mail and USPS money claims are different tools
A Missing Mail search asks the Postal Service to look for the piece. A claim is how you request payment when insurance or extra service allows it.
Describe the mailpiece in boring detail: size, color, tape, contents. Tracking and label numbers run 13 to 34 characters.
USPS domestic claims instructions say you may file immediately if contents are missing, but no later than 60 days after the mailing date. The Postal Service usually sends a decision in 5 to 10 days. If the decision denies the claim or pays only part of it, you may appeal within 30 days of that decision. Don't miss that 30-day window. A second appeal, if the first is denied, also sits inside a 30-day window. That help page does not list every exception in the Domestic Mail Manual.
Insurance after porch theft
Renters and homeowners policies can cover personal property, and some insurers treat a delivered package on your porch as yours. The policy still controls. So does the deductible.
To be honest, a cheap order is a bad insurance claim. If the loss sits under the deductible, you get nothing and you still created a theft claim on your record.
Ask the insurer, before you file, whether a porch-theft claim would change your premium. If you do file, they will want the police report number, the tracking, photos, a list of what was inside, and proof of what you paid, and they can take weeks, and a second theft claim in a short stretch is the kind of thing that makes an underwriter uneasy even when both losses were real.
Apartment hallways and shared doors
A lobby shelf is not a locked mailbox. Tell the seller, the carrier, and building staff the same day.
Ask if drivers are supposed to use a package room. Email the landlord if the same hallway keeps getting hit. That note is about the building. It doesn't replace the police report or the seller chat.
Save the video tonight and screenshot the tracking page. Open the order or the Missing Mail form before the trail goes cold. If the value is high enough that a deductible would not swallow the whole loss, get the police case number in the morning.
If this porch keeps losing boxes, switch the next order to a locker, a signature requirement, or hold for pickup.