If you see something that looks suspicious, or you see someone following your carrier, call 911.Ĭustomers are encouraged to report stolen mail as soon as possible by submitting an online complaint to the Postal Inspection Service at or calling 87. Keep an eye out for your letter carrier.Become involved and engaged in your neighborhood via neighborhood watches and local social media groups to spread awareness and share information. If you created a Master Key, you can use the Master Key as a Sign-in 2FA method to access your account.Sign up for Informed Delivery and get daily digest emails that preview your mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon.Deposit outgoing mail through a number of secure manners including inside your local Post Office or at your place of business or by handing it to a letter carrier.You can significantly reduce the chance of being victimized by simply removing your mail from your mailbox every day. Don’t let incoming or outgoing mail sit in your mailbox.The post office also shared the following tips on how you can help:Īction the American Public Can Take To Help Prevent Mail TheftĬustomers can take several steps to protect their mail and their letter carriers, including: USPS also said it is adding 12,000 high security blue collection boxes nationwide, where it’s more difficult for criminals to access the contents. This lock is not available to developers and builders to pre-install. It’s not clear yet when those changes may be coming to the Seattle area. The Postal Service furnishes its own master access lock so that carriers have access to deliver the mail. To crack down on rising mail theft, USPS said it is changing out 49,000 arrow locks with electronic locks. “We have heard of somebody who has lost a credit card already once and has seen charges show up - so it can really balloon,” Knight said. Now people in South Seattle are on high alert, worried if their information has been compromised. It also said specifically, “There has been an increase in letter carrier robberies nationwide where criminals are targeting letter carriers for their Arrow and Modified Arrow Lock (MAL) Keys.”Īn audit of USPS from 2020 found troubling problems with arrow keys, saying “the number of arrow keys in circulation is unknown” and “local units did not adequately report lost, stolen, or broken keys.” That audit recommended major changes including creating and maintaining a nationwide arrow key inventory. Fortunately, theres already an existing (and much better) solution, which Ive seen employed at other residential locations: An exterior box, sometimes called a 'key keeper', mounted outside the front door and containing the door key on a. Meanwhile, USPS announced on Friday that robberies of mail carriers nationwide is already up nearly 50 percent this fiscal year compared to last year. Ive already ruled out 'more keys for the USPS' as an option for solving this that way lies madness. Postal Inspector for the Seattle area is investigating this theft case. She said she had to take off from work early to get her mail. Some people who waited upwards of 45 minutes were turned away when the post office closed at 5pm.”I’ve tried to pick my mail up three times,” said Juana Esquibel, who was one of the last people able to get her mail before the post office closed. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.ĭownload the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.įollow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter.On Friday, a line of people waited outside the Columbia Station post office. In a statement, a spokesperson for the USPS said postal robberies carry severe penalties - federal prison terms of up to 25 years for armed robbery of a postal employee or Post Office. They are supposed to be logged and returned at the end of a. When one is taken - it can lead to a spike in checks, credit cards, and gifts stolen from the mail. One is a master key also called an arrow key that opens all locked mailboxes, like the ones inside multi-unit buildings. Robberies of postal carriers jumped 78 percent last year to nearly 500 nationwide, according to USPS.Ģ5 investigates has told you about six in Boston since 2022.Ĭriminals target letter carriers to get their master or “arrow keys”. There’s a similar reward for information leading to a conviction in that case.Ģ5 Investigates has been telling you about these robberies for more than a year now. The USPS also made us aware of another postal worker robbery from late last month - it happened shortly before noon in the area of Whitfield Road in Dorchester on September 22.
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