This Black Friday set a new online shopping record, with more than $11.8 billion in sales. As those packages are delivered, officials are warning consumers to protect themselves from theft, as criminals look to capitalize on the holiday shopping season.

So-called “porch pirates” cost American shoppers an estimated $15 billion in the past year, with more than 104 million packages stolen across the country, according to SafeWise, which releases an annual report on package theft trends.

A new proposal by Rep. Josh Gottheimer aims to discourage such thefts by closing loopholes in the law and stiffening penalties.

On Monday, Dec. 1, the congressman announced the bipartisan “Porch Pirates Act,” to be introduced next week, that would make stealing packages a federal crime and increase puni

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