By: John Matarese , Emily Hanford-Ostmann

Don't let porch pirates spoil the joy of finding a great Prime Day deal this week.

Amazon Prime Day, June 23-26 this year, has grown into one of the largest shopping events of the year, but the four-day sales marathon also brings a surge in package theft.

With competing sales from retailers like Walmart and Target adding to the flood of deliveries, porch pirates will be out in full force.

WATCH as experts show the best ways to protect your packages:

How to protect your Prime Day packages

Porch piracy at a glance

Nearly one in three households experienced package theft last year, losing just over $100 on average, according to data from marketing platform Omnisend.

Some shoppers have found their own solutions.

"I actually get them delivered to my parents' house," shopper Katie Minning said, "because packages have been stolen in the past."

Shipping companies are deploying new technology to help. Omnisend's Greg Zakowicz said carriers like UPS are using artificial intelligence to get ahead of the thieves.

"Companies like UPS, they have their AI tools that try to predict the likelihood or the higher likelihood that a package will be stolen for that particular address in that particular area based on that time of the season," he said. "They might reroute that or give the consumer an option to reroute that."

Steps you can take to protect packages

Still, there are plenty of things shoppers can do on their own. According to Security.org, the best ways to protect packages include:

• Using Amazon Hub Lockers and Hub Counters
• Scheduling deliveries for when you are home
• Redirecting packages to someone who will be home

For retailers with physical locations, curbside pickup and in-store pickup are also smart options.

"Maybe it's just driving the two miles out of the way to go to a Target store to pick it up," Zakowicz said.

If other options aren't available, a doorbell camera can serve as both a deterrent and a record.

"I do let them know that I do have a camera," consumer Kennisha Artley said, "and that is the purpose of it, so they don't get stolen."

Don't let criminals wipe out your Prime Day savings, so you don't waste your money.

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