Identity Theft Prevention May be as Easy as Locking Mailboxes
Every day in America, the Post Office handles around 703 million pieces of mail that go out to 146 million addresses. Not only does is it difficult to keep track of and provide security for that many pieces of mail, it’s also over 700 million chances for thieves to inch closer to stealing someone’s identity—over 213 billion chances at identity theft per year. Believe it or not, most identity theft originates from mail theft. While we once lived in a day and age when leaving mailboxes unlocked was the norm, today it’s something that nobody should do, not if they value their financial records and wish to prevent identity theft.
Because mail theft is such a huge problem in the country, the Post Office is doing its part to try to curb it. But for now it seems it’s a losing battle, when you consider all the identity-theft problems caused by people having their mail stolen. When someone has their mail stolen, there’s no telling just how harmful and devastating it will be. Everything from driver’s licenses to blank checks and new credit cards are put directly into mailboxes, most of which are not locked.
California and other Southwest areas experience higher rates of mail theft, which translates to higher risks of identity theft. The Senior Deputy of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, located in Southern California, explains that it’s common for thieves to cruise neighborhoods, looking for unattended outgoing mail by watching for the red flag to be left up on mailboxes. He refers to the practice as “popcorning.” He was quoted in the media as saying: “Every day, somebody’s going up and down the street, looking in mailboxes.”
Mail theft leads to identity theft, there’s no doubt about that. While we can’t do away with the mail system that we all rely upon, there are some things we can do to try to prevent identity theft by protecting our mail. For starters, all mailboxes should lock. The Locking Mailbox Store offers high-quality locking mailboxes that can help curb mail theft. They offer a full line of locking mailboxes, which come in wall or post mount, and locking cluster mailboxes. There is a type and style of mailbox for every taste, and the good news is that they are all completely secure for your protection. The company also offers locking mailbox inserts, faceplate locking mailboxes, and indestructible CurbVault boxes.
Once a locking mailbox is in place, there are still other preventative measures that can be employed. Always take outgoing mail directly to the post office, and never leave any mail unattended. Also, always be sure to finely shred any mail documents you no longer need.
Another important step is to always to do your address change online, which requires a credit-card verification step that is not required on the paper mail-in forms. Re-routing of mail, or address changes, is a big culprit in mail theft. Because of how easy it is for people to grab an address change card and fill it out, with no verification required, thieves can have someone’s mail re-routed to a bogus address, where they can start collecting the mail. It could take days or even weeks before the victim suspects there is a problem. Pay attention to any atypical lags you may have in your mail routine. If several days go by and you have no mail, you should investigate by calling the Post Office.
There is no sure-fire way to prevent mail theft. But we do know that mail theft is one of the leading causes of identity theft. Preventing such identity theft requires security products, especially a locking mailbox. Security products like the locking mailboxes offered by The Locking Mailbox Store are one giant step in the right direction when it comes to identity-theft protection.
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