Mail Theft - Leading Cause of Identity Theft
When we think about identity theft, we tend to think of people stealing credit cards, hijacking banking information, and intercepting other key pieces of information. What most people don’t stop to realize is where such identity theft commonly originates. Yet reality is that most identity theft originates from mail theft.
Every day, people send and receive mail. Most pieces contain important identity information, such as bank and social security numbers. This makes each piece of mail a prime target for thieves looking to cash in. While most people don’t think of mail theft as a big problem, the fact is that it’s happening all over the country, and in record numbers.
Most of us would agree that, years ago, the country was a much safer place. Many people left their cars unlocked, sometimes even with the keys in them. They would leave their front doors unlocked, and they were comfortable about picking up hitchhikers. Fast forward a couple of decades to today and it’s easy to see all the changes that have taken place. While previously it was acceptable to have mail delivered to the house and placed into unlocked mailboxes, that’s no longer the case today.
Ever since the thieves, working in identity-theft rings and on their own, realized how easy it was to steal mail, there’s been no looking back. Up for grabs every day are millions of packages, new credit cards, boxes of unused checks, health insurance cards, Social Security payments, driver’s licenses, and much more. A vast amount of sensitive information is placed into unlocked mailboxes each day. For most thieves, it’s as easy as walking up to a house where it appears nobody is home, and taking the mail right out of the box. Or, most often, according to mail theft data, thieves target cluster mailboxes that are not secure. Mailboxes set up for apartment buildings are especially attractive target areas for thieves because the areas are largely unmonitored, making it convenient for the thieves to steal a lot of mail at one time.
Mail theft is one of the biggest identity-theft problems facing the country, and the Post Office takes it seriously. In fact, they have a special branch, called the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), whose sole purpose is to inspect mail fraud and theft issues in accordance with the federal laws regarding such issues. They understand the danger of mail theft, knowing that people can use the information to open bogus accounts, write fraudulent checks, and do harm to innocent individuals and businesses. This branch of the post office is very productive, accounting for nearly 5,900 mail-theft arrests in just one year.
An inspector with the San Francisco division of the USPIS, Paul FX Lowery, informed the media that, throughout the Western states especially, mail theft is skyrocketing. The continuing desire for such things as fancy televisions, quick cash, and drugs help to fuel it, and the identity theft crime rings see mail theft as an easy way to get the information they seek. Actually, Lowery told the media: “It’s the most opportunistic crime in the United States. It’s a bottomless cookie jar for these mail thieves.”
One of the scariest aspects the public faces regarding mail theft is that it can happen to anyone. Thieves are just as pleased to get their hands on the mail of an 80-year-old grandmother in the Midwest (Social Security checks) as they would a16-year-old in Alaska (driver’s license). In fact, even Kevin Ryan, a Northern California U.S. Attorney, found that he and his wife had both been targeted by an identity-theft ring. Much to his surprise, the thieves were able to steal his Social Security number and bank access code, and were able to write and cash a number of checks before the theft was even discovered. Ryan spent many months trying to restore his financial records. “It’s not fun,” he commented to the media.
When such thieves are caught, it’s fairly easy to prove them guilty, and the conviction rate for fraud-related crimes is quite high, according to Robert Carlson, a San Francisco postal inspector. Most of the perpetrators are charged with possession of stolen mail, which is punishable by up to five years in a federal prison. Carlson was quoted in the media as saying: “We’re seeing more organized groups committing crimes related to identity theft… we’re also seeing an increase in theft from postal trucks and from apartment panel mailboxes, as well as from cluster boxes that are commonly found in new developments.”
So what’s a person to do? After all, the mail system has been a part of our lives for a long time and is going to continue to be so. But as with most things, a little bit of action now can go a long way in preventing identity theft. Most professionals, including Carlson, recommend that you never put outgoing mail in your box, even if it’s in a cluster-box type of system. Outgoing mail should always be taken directly to the post office and put in the blue mail bins or taken into the post office.
Homeowners think about purchasing security products for other parts of their home, and they should not overlook the mailbox. Every person that gets mail should have a locking mailbox, like those offered at the Locking Mailbox Store. By using a locking mailbox, you greatly reduce your chances of having your mail stolen, and locking rural mailboxes are every bit as important as having residential locking mailboxes in urban areas. We know that identity theft often begins at the mailbox. Having a locking mailbox is one major step you can take to help prevent identity theft.
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