How to combat mail theft with tax season now active
GALT — Mail theft tends to ramp up during tax season. With more neighborhoods using cluster mailboxes, this poses a threat.
"Attacking a cluster box does give them access to a number of mailboxes at one time and it's the reporting that makes a difference," said Jeff Fitch, a United States Postal Service postal inspector.
Reporting did make a difference in one instance in the Sacramento County town of Galt. A member of the community shared license plate surveillance video with the police who were then able to catch the suspect.
"We searched the vehicle and located over 100 pieces of mail belonging to nearby citizens in our community," said Galt Police Sergeant Rachelle Hansen.
The thief stole from a cluster mailbox.
"With tax season out here, a lot of documents are being sent via the postal service and cluster mailboxes are typically a high target for criminals to go after because of the sheer volume of mail that is in there," said Greggory Clark, an El Dorado County financial crime detective.
Law enforcement across the Sacramento area will be conducting extra patrol and are working in conjunction with the United States Postal Service.
"We have postal inspectors stationed at our Sacramento office that actively work mail theft investigations," Fitch said.
Extra patrols have already started.
"This year, we wanted to start it before issues started coming up just to prevent things before they happen," Clark said.
So what can you do to not become a victim of mail theft? Collect your mail daily and make sure there aren't any receipts or documents visible in your vehicle.
Officers say that if you do get any mail stolen, it's important to check your credit and bank statements so as to not also fall victim to identity theft.
