More Americans than ever are shopping online. Thieves are taking note and targeting front porches.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office Sunday reminded people of what it took to catch some thieves last year:

Included in a description of the car chase was the following:

"Don't let this happen to you. Have packages delivered to your place of work, or to a trusted friend or neighbor. Here's to safe and happy holidays."

This is not the only case of "Porch Piracy" we had over the last few years, from The Villages to Poinciana.

In addition to the sheriff's office's suggestions, the site Safewise.com has a few other ideas.

Take advantage of home delivery services. UPS has the UPS My Choice service. If you sign up for a free membership, you can get delivery alerts, sign for a package online, and even as that you hold a package at a UPS facility instead of having it delivered to your home. For additional money, you can get it delivered to another address. FedEx has a similar program with Delivery Manager.

USPS has the Package Intercept program. For a fee they will hold the package for pickup or you can have it sent to another address.

Have a security camera on your porch. This will help if your package is stolen so that police can catch the thief. Plus, if the package is damaged, you can use it as evidence against insurance.

Use signature confirmation. This way the package is not left out in the open because a signature is needed.

If a package is stolen, file a police report first, then contact your carriers. If you bought through Amazon, contact them as well.

Also if you used a credit card, check with the credit card company. Some might be willing to help in getting your money back.

According to Adobe, which tracks online retail transactions, consumers spent $3.34 billion shopping online on Friday alone.

The growth of mobile usage and the more widespread use of high-speed internet is also making it easier for people to buy online.

Mobile purchases on Black Friday were up to $1.2 billion, more than ever before.

The National Retail Federation says shoppers will spend $655.8 billion in November and December, up 3.6 percent from a year ago.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.

The sheriff's office also included some additional digital shopping tips on Cyber Monday.