Mail Identity Theft
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States for the past 10 years, and affects over 10 million Americans each year.
Mail theft is a common way that identity thieves can steal your identity, and the 60 million unlocked mailboxes in the US offer a treasure trove of opportunity for would-be identity thieves.
Victims of mail theft often do not realize they have been victimized until their credit record and good name is ruined. Remedying the outcomes of fraud and identity theft requires thousands of dollars and hours of your time.
This section provides information about the prevalence of mail and identity theft, and the precautions you can take to protect yourself and your name.
Mail Identity Theft
- More than 1 in 20 Americans are victims of ID theft each year
- ID theft is the fastest growing crime in the nation
- Only 35% of ID theft victims know how their info was compromised
- The majority of known ID theft is perpetuated via low-tech methods: stolen wallets, stolen mail and stolen trash.
- Mail theft is highly under-reported because most people don’t realize when their mail has been stolen
Mail Theft Monday – 5/10/10
Lucky you, getting two weeks of Mail Theft Monday in one. To what do you owe this special privilege? Well, almost half of our office (including yours truly) was in Las Vegas last week at the National Hardware Show! This year was an exciting one; among other honors, Mail Boss received the Silver Award by NRHA for exceptional packaging. But…
Mail Theft Monday – 5/24/10
Suspected two-time ATM thief arrested, Palo Alto police say Mercury News – 5/21/10 (PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA) “A man suspected of stealing a couple of 1,500-pound ATMs containing more than $100,000 is in custody, Palo Alto police said Thursday. […] There have been no further thefts of ATMs in Palo Alto since Cortinas’ arrest, Philip said. The detective noted an estimated…
Mail Theft Monday – Memorial Day
Latest Clay County Crime Watch List Clay Today – 5/28/10 (ORANGE PARK, FLORIDA) “On 05/21/10 mail was stolen from a mail box at a residence on Hillside Drive (OLDE SUTTON FOREST) in Orange Park.” COMMENTS: The best way to prevent this from happening is a high security locking mailbox like the Mail Boss. That simple. Woman cashing stolen check sought…
Mail Theft Monday – 6/7/10
Couple indicted in mail theft Texarkana Gazette – 6/3/10 (TEXARKANA, ARKANSAS) “Federal indictments were handed down last week for a man and woman accused of conspiring to steal mail from residents in Texarkana, Ark. Justin Lovell, 24, and Starla Richardson, 30, are accused of snatching envelopes from residential mailboxes that contained checks written against the accounts of the alleged victims.…
Mail Theft Monday – 6/14/10
Rash of mailbox vandalism reported in Conewago Twp. The York Daily Record – 6/12/10 (CONEWAGO TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA) “Northern York County Regional Police are investigating a rash of mailbox vandalism that occurred early Saturday morning in Conewago Township. Between midnight and 2 a.m., at least 12 mailboxes were damaged in the area of Bull and Bremer roads. Police believe the mailboxes…
Mail Theft Monday – It’s Already August!
August is already upon us! Oh, where has the summer gone? Okay, no more Negative Nancy here. Moving on, to all the latest and greatest across the United States… err… Well, we will just fill you in on all the scumbags ripping off the mail (just in case you are not yet convinced that you need a locking mailbox). Without…
Mail Theft Monday – 8/9/10
Mail theft in Falcon The New Falcon Herald – 8/8/10 (FALCON, COLORADO) “This summer, Falcon experienced a crime spree. The offense: mail theft. One or more individuals were driving around Falcon neighborhoods that have individual mailboxes, looking for an “up” flag indicating a mailbox containing outgoing mail. They would take the outgoing mail and open the envelopes. Then, they would…
Mail Theft Monday – 8/16/10
Person Of Interest Sought In String Of Mailbox Thefts NBC 4 – 8/13/10 (CHILLICOTHE, OHIO) “Police have identified a person of interest in connection with recent mailbox thefts involving several counties. According to Chillicothe police, Margaret L. Fearnow is a person of interest in the mailbox thefts. […] Fearnow is described as being a 43-year-old white female, 5 feet 3…
Mail Theft Monday PART 1 – 8/23/10
WARNING: There has been so much stinking mail theft all over the country this past week, we have to break this Mail Theft Monday into two posts, with the second installment coming tomorrow… on, err, Wednesday. For those who don’t have the time to read 11 pages of elaborate crime details and semi-complete “prevent identity theft” recommendations, here is the…
Mail Theft Monday PART 2 – 8/23/10
Without further ado, here is the second installment of this week’s Mail Theft Monday… More of the same. Guilty plea in D.C. identity thefts The Washington Post – 8/19/10 (WASHINGTON DC, DISTRICT of COLUMBIA) “A District woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy and fraud in connection with a credit card and identity theft ring operating out of Northwest Washington. The…
