As Holiday Gifts Continue to Be Delivered, Pappas Pushes for ‘Porch Pirates’ Crackdown

As Granite Staters eagerly await the delivery of gifts for friends and loved ones, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) is pushing Congress to pass the Porch Pirates Act, which would increase penalties for package theft and safeguard millions of dollars that New Hampshire residents lose each year to so-called “porch pirates.”

One out of every 25 people in New Hampshire loses at least one package to theft every three months. So far this year, 104 million total packages have been stolen, and nearly half of all Americans have been victims of porch pirates. Last year, shoppers lost nearly $16 billion in stolen goods they paid for. Porch pirates cost Americans an estimated $16 billion in the past year, with more than 104 million packages stolen nationwide.

Pappas helped introduce the Porch Pirates Act, which would impose the same penalties for the theft of packages from private carriers like FedEx and UPS as those that apply to the theft of United States Postal Service mail.

“Granite Staters are still receiving deliveries of holiday gifts for their friends and loved ones, and package theft remains a significant concern,” said Congressman Pappas. “So far 104 million packages have been stolen this year, costing families and businesses billions of dollars. To combat the rise in porch piracy and deter theft, this bipartisan legislation will put in place the same federal penalties for package theft, whether a package was delivered by a private carrier or by the U.S. Postal Service. I’m urging Congress to take up and pass this common-sense legislation now.” 

Pappas’s office also recommends consulting guidance published by the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau on how to safeguard gifts and other packages from theft, including requiring a signature, setting up delivery notifications, and providing specific delivery instructions to the package carrier. He supported this legislation in the 117th and 118th Congresses.