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 – 8/30/10
Blogging live from the MidStates Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Here is this week’s round up of mail theft, from Alaska to Virginia and everywhere in between. Federal grand jury indicts Kong woman for mail theft The Tundra Drums – 8/27/10 (ANCHORAGE, ALASKA) “A Kongiganak woman was indicted by a federal grand jury in Anchorage for mail theft, announced Karen L.…
Mail Theft Monday – LABOR DAY!
Mail thief on the loose in Concord, watch out! Contra Costa Blog – 9/1/10 (CONCORD, CALIFORNIA) “I received the following email from a reader near Santa Paula Drive, which is off Oak Grove Road in Concord…. This morning around 5am I was laying in bed with my eyes open and saw the headlights of a vehicle shining very brightly in…
Mail Theft Monday – 9/13/10
Surprisingly, not much to report this week. I’m sure next week will be much more exciting! Guilty plea in check-snatching scam Washington Post – 9/8/10 (MARYLAND) “Prosecutors say a Maryland woman has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud for cashing stolen D.C. and federal treasury checks. Twenty-six-year-old Annternet Howard of Hyattsville, Md., entered the plea on Tuesday and…
Mail Theft Monday – 9/20/10
First of all, a big Happy 50th Birthday to Miss Monica, owner and CFO of Epoch Design. But we don’t like to use big fancy C-level acronyms around here, so she just goes by “UDM” – Ultimate Decision Maker. Happy 50th to Miss Monica, Epoch Design “UDM”! Last week, Miss Monica was off representing Mail Boss at the Fall 2010…
Mail Theft Monday – 10/18/10
Thieves often target outgoing mail to steal bill payments because they can wash the Payee and then cash the check fraudulently. However, they also target incoming mail to steal sensitive information that can be used for identity theft. Check fraud is common, and is a hassle to address, but identity theft is a nightmare, requiring hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to rectify. To prevent mail-identity theft, use a high security locking mailbox to secure incoming mail, and use online bill pay to prevent theft of checks in outgoing mail. And as always, shred sensitive documents (which primarily come in your curbside mailbox) to thwart dumpster divers.
Mail Theft Monday – It’s November!
Can you believe it’s November already? Many of us spent last week in Orlando at the Ace Hardware Fall Convention, so we apologize for the lapse in posting. Next week, we will return to your regularly scheduled Mail Theft Monday. But for today, we’ll include the mail-identity theft stories that have occurred in the past two weeks from across the nation. There’s quite…
Mail Theft Monday: 11/8/10
Suspected mail thief arrested in Live Oak Santa Cruz Sentinel – 11/4/10 (LIVE OAK, CALIFORNIA) “A man who stole mail and ran from a sheriff’s deputy was arrested early Thursday in Live Oak, the Sheriff’s Office reported. Ethan Benoit, a 21-year-old Hollister man, was arrested just after 12:10 a.m. Thursday on the 2300 block of Paul Minnie Avenue, sheriff’s deputies…
Mail Theft Monday – 11/22/10
This week it’s going to be brief. Not going to lie – I’m going to Mexico… like, right MEOW! So, fewer comments than usual and [emphases added]!. Andalé Andalé!!! Maui Meadows Mail Thief ListOwn.com -11/18/10 Last night between the hours of midnight and 8AM, some icehead stole my outgoing mail from my mailbox. Nothing too important in there… but I…
Mail Theft Monday – 11/29/10
Broomfield Enterprise police report – Nov. 28 Broomfield Enterprise – 11/27/10 (BROOMFIELD, COLORADO) “[…] Nov. 19 […] Mail was stolen from a business in the 6900 block of West 117th Avenue. Loss, unknown. […]” COMMENTS: It is important to remember that thieves target business mailboxes just as they target residential mailboxes. Business should use high security locking mailboxes to secure…
Mail Theft Monday – 12/6/10
MAIL THIEVES CAUGHT IN NEW MEXICO, ARIZONA, TEXAS Arrests made in mail theft Taylor Daily Press – 12/5/10 (TAYLOR, TEXAS) “Three men have been charged in relation to a recent trend of mail theft in Taylor and subsequent fraud, and police are investigating a fourth suspect. Christopher McNeil, 29, reportedly stole newly issued debit cards from a mailbox and used…
