Mail Thieves and Their Operations

·         Where do they come from? Some mail theft operations are groups who act together to steal the mail in a particular neighborhood they think will be profitable. They may have traveled a long way to get there. They work fast. Then, they travel some distance back to their base of operation, making them hard to track.

·         Other thieves are right in your neck of the woods. Report them if you see them. They are the thieves who can be seen walking down your block a short distance behind the mail carrier.

·         What are mail thieves seeking?

·         Your id numbers like your SSN, bank accounts and medical ID numbers

·         Your Banking and computer passwords and your mother’s maiden name

·         Personal checks you have written to pay bills or new checks from your bank

·         Debit cards, credit cards, pre-approved credit offers,  your new Driver’s License

·         What do they do with all this loot?

·         They chemically wash and alter your checks

·         Use your credit card to purchase anything they want

·         They apply for credit in your name to get cars or rent homes

·         They keep records on victims so they know which accounts to use

·         They record your credit card numbers and use it after you’ve activated it

Seriously, mail thieves use your personal information to devastate you. Their numbers are increasing and their methods are becoming more effective. Their crimes are non-violent and easy to commit.

Identity theft is estimated to have risen 71% over the previous year.  More than a third of this is the direct result of stolen mail. Law enforcement officials and the postal service inspectors are hard pressed to keep up with the reports they receive.  Just consider how much mail is delivered daily in America. It is a lot to track. Many crimes go unreported. So many crimes are not even discovered until so long after the fact that trails have become cold. People are already damaged beyond their wildest nightmares.

So what are we to do to protect our families from these awful crimes? Invest in a steel locking mailbox that is ¼ inch thick and cannot be compromised. You just need to do it one time and the danger of mail theft at your home is forever eliminated.

The Amazing Mail Thief

How about this for laughs!

Stolen mail isn't what it used to be, Amado Cintron thought to himself as he pried open two mailboxes in an apartment building in Bushwick on a recent Wednesday afternoon. The credit-card companies aren't as good about sending cards out willy-nilly anymore, and even grandmas seem to have wised up to the fact that you shouldn't put cash in the mail. At best, you end up with some Netflix and a few coupons for Bed Bath & Beyond. Bo-ring. 

Then, Amado looked up, his shifty eyes catching the security camera. Now THAT would be worth something, he thought to himself. Sweltering in the midday heat, he removed his shirt and, MacGuyver-like, hopped up and used the tools he had brought to pry the camera off its mount. It came off fairly easily, Amado was pleased to see. He hopped back down triumphantly. He was a genius, he thought to himself as he removed the camera's tape — on which cops would later see Amado and the two large angel tattoos on his back that identify the already convicted felon as such, committing two kinds of crimes— set it to one side (because who needs an old, used tape?), and went on his way. 

Some amazing mail thief!

Police Blotter [NYPD Blotter/NYP]

By: Jessica Pressler Filed Under: stupid crime of the day, crime, robbers

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As mailbox vandalism sprees crop up all over America, many people are investing in steel locking security mailboxes.
Along country roads and especially in areas where snow plows have ruined mailboxes, country mailbox owners are looking for the perfect mailbox to withstand any insult.

Contact Us: support@lockthemailbox.com for a 15% discount.

Steel Thicknesses of Locking Mailboxes

 Steel locking mailboxes are currently being advertised as secure and vandal proof. Some of them are stainless steel or 14 gauge steel. Others provide a 16 gauge steel construction. The strongest is a collection of mailboxes which are constructed of a 1/4" steel shell which is 2 gauge.

The steel thickness of the mailbox construction impacts whether or not the mailbox can be pried open with a screwdriver, as is the case with quite a few of the steel mailboxes available today. 14 gauge sounds thicker than 1/4 inch. Actually 1/4 inch is thicker than 14 gauge and is a 2 gauge thickness. 16 gauge also is not nearly as thick and strong as 2 gauge steel. What this means for owners of country mailboxes which are frequently vandalized is that the thicker the steel construction, the better is the solution to ever having a mailbox damaged again.

And The Hits Just Keep on Coming!

security

For years country mailboxes have been the targets of bored teenagers out for a little raucous batting practice along country roads. Since victims’ mailboxes are generally some distance from their houses and they have not been watching their mailboxes 24/7 every Saturday night, the hits just keep on coming!

Many country mailboxes have been replaced over and over again. Victims of such vandalism know that unless they get a new mailbox installed right away, the U.S. Postal Service will not allow mail carriers to deliver mail. After just a few days of storing the mail when it cannot be delivered, the USPS simply returns that undeliverable mail to the senders.

A lockable mailbox constructed of thin 14 or 18 gauge steel or aluminum does not solve the problem. Sooner or later, these models get smashed or pried open again. Such damage represents the vicious cycle of mailbox replacement and the repeated expense and inconvenience involved in getting a new country mailbox so the mail carrier doesn’t just walk on by.

Today, as the teenage mailbox bashing continues with each new crop of baseball batters, new attacks arise to damage both urban and country mailboxes. 

  Now, even younger kids are getting into the fray. It seems to be no problem for a ten-year-old to purchase some dry ice. What can a kid do with dry ice?

The dry ice is poured into a plastic water bottle or discarded soda bottle. In a short time, this seemingly harmless creation becomes a bomb. Bombs like this placed in mailboxes actually blow up most models. They don’t necessarily turn the mail to ashes like the pipe bombs do, but they definitely total the boxes.

Hopefully, the children of today are being taught to read and to think. Hopefully, they are rewarded for their efforts at innovation. Hopefully, this country is educating the leaders of tomorrow to be creative thinkers who guide their constituents into positive channels.

Some creative little kiddos are thinking, all right. They are devising other ways to decimate both urban and country mailboxes. They have created a new way to play marbles. They take a pocketful of the little round treasures and a pea shooter or a paintball gun and go about the business of target practice on the poor innocent mailboxes.

There is a simple solution to this problem of vandalizing country mailboxes. Simply invest in a 2 gauge (1/4 inch thick) steel locking mailbox and then forget it. Wise mailbox owners who install such heavy duty, high performance country mailboxes will never again be victims of mail theft or mailbox vandalism. The hits may keep on coming, but the damage will not be done.

What Is The Punishment For Vandalism?

Vandalism is a crime.

·         Definitions vary within the 50 States. In most counties and communities it is described as malicious or willful destruction of private or public property without the consent of the property’s owner.

·         Vandalism is seen by some as merely a prank. It is a crime and costs taxpayers millions of dollars to counteract.

Penalties for vandalizing property range in severity according to the damage and reasons for the damage.

·         Criminals may be ordered to pay fines up to $250,000.

·         Mandatory community service may be ordered.

·         Incarceration upwards of a year is a common sentencing.

·         Misdemeanor or Felony may be found and is punishable according to the vandalism done. If it is found that the vandalism was done because of a person’s race, religion, sexual preference, color, ancestry, disability or national origin will likely result in a Felony charge.

·         Specified restitution may be ordered. This could include replacement of property and the labor to re-install it.