TULSA, Okla. — The U.S. Post Office says it’s cracking down on crime.
They’re using the month of June to let folks know the steps the post office is taking to keep their mail safe.
The post office says it’s targeting theft from mailboxes and mail carriers, which has risen dramatically since early last year.
Steps include installing 12,000 high-security blue collection boxes.
Replacing 49,000 old security keys, so thieves who steal those keys from mail carriers can’t get into mailboxes.
And increasing security steps customers need to take when filing a change of address forms.
Victims of past mail crimes look forward to the crackdown.
Here’s why.
At your curb… or the corner mailbox.
Crooks target the unsuspecting.
They wait and watch… hoping you’ll put a check in the outgoing mail… like in a blue collection box outside the post office.
Then thieves pounce.. turning your effort to pay a bill, into their opportunity to clean out your bank account with a scam called “check washing.”
And it’s happening not just here, but across the country.
"It’s scary, it’s scary."
That’s Kathleen Bailey after she found out she was almost on the hook for $5,000 after being notified by her bank.
"They asked me did you write a check for $5,000? And I said, No, I don't even have $5,000 in my account.
Her bank provided a copy of the check.
She remembered making a check 1450, but not to a Brooks Swanson, and not for $5,000.
"I wrote it to the water department for I think it was at $81.56”
Her bank told her it suspects someone washed the check she dropped off at a USPS blue box.
Check washing is a technique where someone removes a check’s original ink and rewrites it.
Luckily, the withdrawal was flagged as suspicious and she didn’t lose any money.
But Kathleen says she did lose sleep.
“I had to change my whole checking account. And that's a lot of difficulty for some people.”
But it’s not just mailed checks and bills that can cause issues.
A Green Country viewer says she mailed $3000 worth of items, including coins, to Florida, but the package never arrived.
That viewer goes on to tell us … “A similar situation happened to us ten years ago, and the package was never found. This latest package held family heirlooms, that can never be replaced, and I am devastated. I want answers!”
Finally, the viewer says she filed a claim with the post office but didn’t get any answers.
So she contacted the problem solvers, and we touched base with post office higher-ups at the regional office.
We found out that package was actually at a mail facility in Florida, but for some reason, just sat there for days.
It finally was delivered, just hours after we asked that post office representative for help.
Fortunately, that viewer’s situation and Kathleen’s check-washing problem were resolved.
But both are developing new habits when mailing items.
“I'm not going to ever use a blue box again, never."
And they’re counting on the post office to deliver on their mail crime crackdown.
The problem solvers researched more steps you can take to help prevent mail crime.
Don’t incoming or outgoing mail sit in your mailbox, which gives crooks more opportunities to steal it.
Deposit outgoing mail inside a post office or by handing it to a mail carrier.
Sign up for informed delivery, and get a daily digest email that previews your mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon.
And become involved in a neighborhood watch group and social media groups to keep tabs on anything suspicious.
Lastly, when shipping or mailing, consider whether it's worth it to you to insure it.
Contact the Problem Solvers:
- 918-748-1502
- problemsolvers@kjrh.com
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