Mail Theft, the Number One White Collar Crime

You might not know this, but when you find out the reasons for mail
theft being about the number one white-collar crime, you'll understand
why. One in three cases of identity theft happens when mail is stolen.

You'd think with all the postal security in place in the U.S., there
would not be any way someone could just coolly walk off with all sorts
of mail containing people's personal information. Security aside, it is
rather difficult to track and keep over 668 million pieces of mail
daily. Yes, daily. That is a lot of mail sent from one end of the
country to the other and back again. Honestly, most of it does get to
where it is supposed to go, but unfortunately some of it is lost prior
to delivery.

Just last year it appears the mail theft business was a busy one, as
U.S. Postal Inspectors managed to arrest over 6,000 suspects. Many of
these suspects were accused of pilfering mail right off the postal
trucks, out of collection boxes, right out of apartment mailbox panels,
neighborhood delivery/collection boxes, etc.

Theft of U.S. mail happens in a blink of an eye and in a manner
which most people would not pay attention. For instance, it only takes
a split second to briskly walk up someone's driveway, open the mailbox,
swipe the mail and leave, with a handful of things like credit card
statements, utility bills, loan applications and bank statements. There
goes your identity.

What do you do to put a stop to this white-collar crime? Well, step
number one is putting a lock on your mailbox; a total pain, but worth
it if it prevents someone from stealing your identity and messing up
your credit history. Make sure the lockbox is sturdy and designed to
prevent theft, otherwise a patient thief will only take a few seconds
to get it open.

While it may sound hilarious and border a bit on the ridiculous,
your mailbox is now almost as important as Fort Knox, with about the
same level of protection in the newer boxes. They're now being made in
solid weatherproof material, are welded together instead of using pop
rivets, and are tamper and wrench proof. Now that's a mailbox. Short of
the thief taking the whole mailbox (and it has happened) your mail
should be relatively secure in one of these newer security conscious
models.

Step number two is to take all outgoing mail to a postal drop box
yourself. Don't leave it in the mailbox for the postman to pick up.
These are small things that may make a huge difference in whether or
not you have your mail pinched, a theft you would rather not happen, as
it takes approximately 44 months to recover from having your identity
stolen.

Daniel Wannamaker is a board certified criminal law specialist and
has 24 years of criminal trial experience with proven results as a
Dallas criminal defense lawyer practicing in Austin criminal defense
and Houston Texas. To learn more about Dallas criminal defense lawyer, Houston criminal defense lawyer, Austin criminal defense lawyer, visit Wannamakerlaw.com.