Mail Theft on the Rise

Coming to a Neighborhood Near You!

So you think mail theft doesn’t happen in your neighborhood? All too often, we catch ourselves saying, “That kind of thing doesn’t happen around here.” Well guess what: it happens everywhere! Don’t believe me? Check out some of these examples:

Salt Lake City, Utah – Police were looking into reports about an abandoned cargo van when they discovered a women sleeping, or passed out, on the floor of the van. Upon closer inspection, they discovered forged and blank checks, social security cards, and other mail items. The women in the van later told police that she was working for the self-proclaimed “Fraud God,” a man who traded stolen mail for meth to a small army of addicts.

Gilbert, Arizona – In 2007, a community mailbox was ripped open and several individuals’ mail was missing. Local police said that in just that month, there had been 10 reports of mail theft. They also noted that mail theft had doubled from the previous year. Note that these reports do not account for the numerous likely incidents that go unnoticed by homeowners who fail to notice missing mail, as there are no obvious signs of mail theft with unsecured curbside mailboxes. Again, methamphetamine addicts were suspected to be behind the theft of mail throughout the town.

St. Paul, Minnesota – A couple was arrested for mail theft after they tried to illegally cash a stolen check. Tax refund checks, credit card statements, bank records and new driver’s licenses were among the hundreds of pieces of mail a woman and man were found to have stolen out of mailboxes.

Athens, Ohio – Two women pleaded guilty to mail theft charges after being picked up by an off duty police officer. The women were sentenced to four years in jail and made to pay back all the money they had stolen from over 20 families.

These are just a few examples of recent mail theft incidents. Browse the internet and you will see hundreds just like this in cities all over the country. The map movie below depicts the fast growth of mail theft and identity theft; as you can see, mail and identity theft is a massive problem of a national scale that is growing at an alarming rate:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmSi86IYu28

What are some other places that have been hit with mail theft? A quick search on the internet reveals the 10 most recent spots hit by mail theft:

1. Englewood, FL
2. Bellevue, WA
3. Rosemount, MN
4. Omaha, NE
5. Gregg, TX
6. Honolulu, HI
7. Billings, MT
8. Alameda, CA
9. New York, NY
10. Tuscaloosa, AL