Mail Theft in Idaho – Who Would’ve Thought?
We currently only have one or two Mail Boss dealers in Idaho. This is a little surprising since we are based in Seattle and have dozens of retail stores selling our locking mailboxes all the way from the Olympic Peninsula to Spokane.
But on the other hand, Idaho historically has not had the problem with identity theft that we have had in Washington: Washington ranked 14th in the nation in terms of 2008 ID theft victims per capita, whereas Idaho is near the bottom of the list at #39 (FTC 2009). On the many occasions I have visited Idaho, I have noticed that almost nobody has a locking mailbox, now common in our neck of the woods.
Locking Mailbox Demand in Idaho on the Rise
So I have to admit I have been a bit surprised over the past few months as I have watched numerous orders come through our e-commerce site for Mail Boss locking mailboxes in Idaho. Granted, because we have a practically non-existant dealer base, online orders present a disproportionate demand… most homeowners in Washington or California simply buy our locking mailbox product from their local Ace Hardware or True Value. However, there is no doubt that people in Idaho are starting to realize the need for locking mailboxes.
Getting Idaho Retailers on Board – Mail Theft Homework
About a week ago, we had an Ace Hardware dealer in Boise, Idaho call us requesting a special order of a Mail Boss locking mailbox for a local customer. This was the third Mail Boss sale they have made, and they do not even stock our products.
Chris, our account manager, is trying to get this dealer on board, so he asked me to find some stories of mail theft near Boise Ace Hardware. I told him, “I’ll see what I can do, but I don’t think there’s much mail theft in Idaho.” Boy, was I wrong!
Mail Theft in Boise, ID – What I found in 3 minutes!
A quick Google Search for “mail theft + Boise” yielded a gold mine of recent stories of people in Boise and surrounding areas having their mail stolen from their residential mailboxes.
Mail thieves strike in Middleton, Star area KTVB.com – Boise, ID 4/10/09
“You may be a victim of mail theft and you don’t even know it.” Hundreds of peoples’ mail was found scattered around a large rural area between Canyon and Ada counties, and now residents are concerned they may be the next victims of identity theft.
Boise Woman Arrested for Massive Mail Theft 2 News TV – Boise, ID
Police investigating a drug house found hundreds of pieces of stolen mail, with contents ranging from credit cards to Netflix videos. The suspect was allegedly stealing mail from residential mailboxes to gain information in order to steal identities, and using the money to fund her methamphetamine habit.
Mail Theft Hits Caldwell and Star Fox 12 – Boise, ID
Residents in Star, ID witnessed a woman going through neighbors’ mailboxes and taking mail. Because of their vigilance, she was arrested in a vehicle full of hundreds of pieces of stolen mail, fraudulent checks, and more. She has been arrested and charged with mail fraud, while residents have been warned to be wary of mail theft.
Moving Forward – Bring on the Idaho Dealers!
So now I know… mail theft is a big and growing problem in Idaho, and there is no reason we shouldn’t have plenty of successful locking mailbox dealers in the land of potatoes. Where there is mail theft (and reasonable people who can make the connection between mail and identity theft), there is a way! So IDAHO, here we come:)
And for those homeowners in Idaho who would like a Mail Boss locking mailbox to keep your mail and identity safe, while you can always keep buying from us, we recommend you march right down to your local hardware store and ask for the Mail Boss by name! And pretty soon, we promise you will be able to find plenty of dealers in your area on our Store Locator!