Port Hadlock Postmaster Warns Residents

Individual(s) following mail carrier stealing mail

Today, a concerned resident from Port Ludlow came to our Epoch Design warehouse to purchase a curbside Mail Boss locking security mailbox. He said that mail theft had been an ongoing problem in his community, and finally decided to purchase a secure locking mailbox when he received a letter from his Postmaster warning residents that unknown individuals in the area have been following postal carriers and stealing mail.

Because of the inherent mail and identity theft connection, residents in the area have serious cause for concern. The stark reality is that criminals are increasingly turning to mail theft—an easy and low-risk means of acquiring consumers’ sensitive personal information—to commit identity fraud. The surest way to protect yourself against mail and identity theft is to purchase a secure locking mailbox.

The United States Postal Service letter to postal customers is included below, courtesy of Bill S., a concerned resident from Port Ludlow and the proud new owner of a Mail Boss locking security mailbox:

 Deal Postal Customer,

Over the last couple of weeks we have experienced a mail theft/vandalism concern in your area. We have an individual or individuals that appear to be following the mail carrier on portions of their routes and stopping at mailboxes pulling out mail and putting mail in just like your regular carrier. The problem is that they pull the mail your carrier has delivered to you today and put mail for some other individual in your mailbox. Then they look through your mail and remove any first class they want before going to the next box and repeating the process. Sometimes they will stop on one street and move to a different area and do the whole scheme over again for several boxes. That’s when I receive calls about the mail being all mixed up in an area, sometime on the same street sometimes not. Please help us catch and stop this individual by watching for anyone in or around your mailbox and writing down a license number and calling me or the sheriff immediately.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Lee Weatherly
Post Master
Port Hadlock, WA. 98339
Phone: 385-0605