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Experts say counterfeiting goods and piracy cost the national economy 250 billion dollars every year. Counterfeiting is also responsible for the loss of 750,000 American jobs. State Attorney General Bill McCollum announced his support of a bill to increase the penalty for making or selling counterfeit goods. A representative from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce joined the attorney general and lawmakers for the announcement. The group told reporters rip-offs don’t just hurt the nations economy, they can also kill.

“We see it every year, we’ve got faulty break-pads, we see fake batteries in smoke detectors, we seen electric cords the catch fire, these are being sold during the holiday season and being used to plug in a Christmas tree. And a Representative Gardiner mentions they can immediately catch fire. We’ve got surgical mask found during surgery that aren’t sterile that almost caused someone to die,” Caroline Joiner with the US Chamber of Commerce said.

The proposed legislation also increases the penalties for repeat offenders.