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 Identity Theft in New England
Concord Monitor reports inmate guilty of mail theft related ID fraud In New Hampshire, David Curtis has pled guilty to stealing from rural mailboxes in New England and using the contents to defraud numerous victims. The story, originally reported by the Concord Monitor here and included below, explains that Curtis used bank statements and checks stolen from victims’ unlocked mailboxes…
LA Times Columnist Mail-ID Theft Victim
Writes, “Identity theft hits close to home: When someone steals your mail, it’s a whole new worrisome world” Los Angeles Times columnist Pat Morrison has taken every precaution (or so she thought) to protect herself from becoming a victim of identity theft. She “covered all the bases” including using a paper shredder religiously and never shopping online. She even purchased…
Mail Boss Sales on the Rise – Here’s Why!
Four societal factors explain tremendous demand for locking mailboxes – Making lemonade from lemons When we first started marketing our Mail Boss security locking mailbox products several years ago, there were specific areas in the country where the demand was very high. Certain states — Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, and Nevada, for example — already had a serious…
How to Prevent Identity Theft
Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft with these Easy Steps
Most of us would like to live in a place where identity theft was not relevant. Unfortunately for us, there is no place this secure. There are several steps you can take no matter where you live in order to avoid being victimized from by identity theft.
Mail Thieves Show No Mercy
One Man Fights Back Against a Neighborhood Netflix Mail Thief
Check out this video to see how one man fights back against mail (and netflix movie) theft.
It’s not just your bills anymore; it’s your movies too! Not only is your personal information such as credit cards, bill statements and social security number being stolen through mail theft, but so is your given right to relax to a Netflix movie. Netflix receives hundreds of “lost in the mail” reports every week from their customers. Although some of these individuals may have actually had their movies lost by the USPS, many of these reports stem from the Netflix mail thieves.
Beware of the many individuals out there who are prowling your neighborhoods unlocked mailboxes, searching for their next Wednesday night entertainment.
Mail in a Shoebox?
Without a locking mailbox you may as well receive your mail in a shoebox
Most Americans receive their credit cards, credit card offers, checkbooks, social security checks, bank statements, bills, and other sensitive financial information in the mail. Yet, most mailboxes sit unlocked, unprotected, and vulernable to mail theft. This is equivalent to having your most private personal and financial information delivered by the postal officer into a shoe box on the street, for anyone to take…
Seattle Digs the Mail Boss
Seattle Times calls MailBoss “virtually inpenetrable” Mail and identity theft has been increasing at an epidemic rate nationwide, and the Seattle area is no exception. A King County Prosecuting Attorney Policy Paper reads, “[…] during a time when the overall crime rate has dropped by more than 5%, reported mail theft has grown dramatically, suggesting that criminals have found a…
Stop Mail Theft Cold
“Mail Theft” video packs a punch This is a great, comical video that expresses our frustrations with having to worry about getting our mail stolen and living with that threat. There is a little voice in all of us (at least in me!) that wants to punch or inflict pain on anyone who has bad intentions for us or our…
Identity Theft Up 22% in 2008
According to the 2009 Identity Theft Survey Report (preview here) by Javelin Research, identity theft is on the rise. The number of identity theft victims rose 22% to a record 9.9 million in 2008, up from 8.1 million in 2007. While losses and subsequent consumer costs have decreased due to increased protections, the overall number and percentage of ID theft victims continues to…
Mail Theft Continues to Grow… We Can’t Keep Up!
Back in 2006 when we launched the original curbside Mail Boss, you hardly ever heard about mail thefts in the news. It used to be that every once in a while we would find a really relevant news story about mail-identity theft, and publish here to help consumers realize the importance of a locking mailbox. Now, it seems mail theft…
