The Post Office Has a Warning About Their Public Mailboxes
There are certain things many of us thought we could always trust. Those blue public U.S. Post Office mailboxes would be high on my list. Times have changed.
Postal officials are now warning that with the rise of identity theft and criminals targeting mail, customers should not use mailboxes on Sundays or holidays.
To quote a new USPS release:
“The biggest variable enticing these criminals to steal are customers depositing mail into blue collection boxes after the last collection of the day or during Sundays and federal holidays. If customers simply used retail service or inside wall drop slots to send their U.S. Mail, instead of depositing it to sit outside overnight or through the weekend, blue collection boxes would not be as enticing after business hours to mail thieves for identity theft and check-washing schemes,”
What is the world coming to? We can't trust that depositing our mail in an official USPS blue mailbox is safe. It's getting so bad, that many are calling on the USPS to scrap the blue mailboxes altogether.
The blue box requires trucks to pick up mail two times a day. Across the entire country, this adds up.
According to the USPS if you want to prevent mail theft here are some steps to take:
1) The most secure way to send mail is through the local Post Office retail counter. If that is not feasible, the next safest way is to use the inside collection slots that deposit mail directly into the Post Office.
2 )If using the Postal Service’s outside blue collection boxes, never deposit mail after the last dispatch time. Each box has dispatch times printed on a label, and it will point you to the location for the latest pickup time in your area. Avoid depositing mail during the night, Sundays, and on federal holidays.
3) If you witness someone going into a collection box or mail delivery receptacle during non-postal work hours, contact your local police, and notify postal inspectors at 877-876-2455.
4) Do not allow your mail to sit overnight in mailboxes. If you are going out of town, submit a mail hold order to pause your delivery of U.S. Mail.
It is far better to be safe than sorry. Although we can all be a little sorry that not even blue USPS mailboxes are safe anymore. I almost wish I could send myself a post card from a bygone, simpler time. Unfortunately, if I did, even that might be stolen from a blue mailbox.
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