SAN ANTONIO — Holiday deliveries are on the rise across the city, and so are viral videos claiming to have booby-trapped “instant karma” moments catching porch pirates. Many of the clips show thieves snatching packages from pouches, only to see the packages explode into bright, colorful powder.
But experts say these dramatic takedowns are not what they seem.
“I'm noticing that a lot of them are fake or generated by AI,” says Ben Stickle, a criminal justice professor at Middle Tennessee State University who has studied porch pirate behavior for years.
Celebrities have also been scammed. San Antonio resident Shaquille O'Neal shared one of the videos online before receiving a correction warning.
“But if you're just scrolling through social media, you may never realize that these are actually generated by AI,” Stickle says.
Stickle warns that while AI videos are interesting, the real-world crimes they imitate are far more costly.
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“It's a $15 billion loss to consumers alone,” he said. “But if you add in the retail sector, it's almost $22 billion more.”
In other words, the economic loss due to porch piracy last year was approximately $37 billion.
Stickle recently ranked San Antonio as the eighth worst metro area in the country for package theft in a Safewise study. In recent weeks, local residents have reported multiple incidents of undelivered deliveries throughout the neighborhood.
“The consequences of this crime are significant,” Stickle said.
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Homer Hernandez, president of the local mail carrier union, said simple communication can help prevent theft.
“Now is the time to talk to your mail carrier or whoever is delivering your package and let them know exactly where to put your package so porch pirates don't get it,” Hernandez said.
In San Antonio's Beacon Hill neighborhood, neighbors say that's their strategy.
“We all take things out of each other's porches and put them in the backyard when we get a call,” resident Richard Bhasker said.
But not all communities have taken such steps. While driving through several neighborhoods recently, News 4 crews found packages left in plain sight, making them easy targets for thieves.
San Antonio Police Department encourages residents to leave crime prevention and enforcement to law enforcement. Porch pirates can be subject to fines or jail time, depending on the value of what they steal. Creating a real explosive device, even if it's a prank, carries much harsher penalties.
Police say doorbell camera footage and photos can help identify suspects, and reporting stolen packages can help establish patterns when the same thief targets multiple homes.
Pouch pirate data, but this is considered a theft and is grouped with all other thefts, so it can be difficult to track.
However, filing a police report is valuable because it builds paper evidence and helps build a case against suspects in the area. You can also call your SAFFE representative and let them know. Another option is to call 911 and request a patrol. SAPD says contacting police will not result in an immediate arrest, but it could lead to an arrest in the future.
