Mail box theft......kinda long.

[Hangfire]

Around 7:30 this morning I put three bills that I had written checks for in our curb side mail box, about an hour later the wife happened to glance out the window and told me that the door on the mail box was open and that the flag was still up......which gave me a bad feeling even before going out.

The three bills I had written were gone and I looked up and down the street and there were two other boxes with the flags up with the doors also open.

Knowing I wasn't going to be so lucky I called the P.O. anyway and ask if our route driver was out yet and the fella said that she had just left so it was not her that had picked up the mail.

Luckily BOK started opening the lobby from 9:00 till 1:00 on Saturdays and I went to the bank, closed the account and opened a new one which is about all you can do at the bank. The fella at the bank that helped me said the he is now doing about four a month because of mail theft......stop and think about it, that is just one fella at one bank.

He also suggested that I go get a P.O. box to have the checks sent to (for the past 30 years they have always came in the mail) which I quickly left and did while the wife stayed at the bank. When i came back he ordered some new checks for me that will now come to our new P.O. box.....the box is cheap, just $28.00 for six months.

The banker said don't be surprised if I don't start getting calls from retailers sooner or later who were told to deduct money directly from the account (by the theives) wanting their money for merchandice.

The banker then tells me that I also need to make a police report, to have a case number, which I then went to the police dept. and filed.

The Norman cop (one hell of very polite and understanding Hispanic looking young cop) that took my report said that it is happening more and more and he takes at least one report a week for mail theft and that a flag up is a sign to a theif that in all probability they are checks being mailed. The cop said that he personally never uses his home mail box for incoming or out going mail.

For ALL outgoing mail I'm going to start taking my mail to one of those mail boxes that are in parking lots or in front of some businesses.....the big United Way building is only a couple of blocks away and the have a couple so that is probably where I'll start dropping my out going mail off.

I've still got to call AT&T, Cox and ADT to get their mailing addresses so I can send them one of the temporary checks I was given till mine arrive.

Be carefull.

 

[EhlerDave]

It sure sounds like a pain. I live on a rural route and have had items hung from the box by the carrier, I have asked that not happen anymore. In 27 years I have lost 1 item, that was an order of brass from midway.

I hope you dont have any real problems.

Now if it was me, I would have dropped the flags and closed the doors, how much damage would be done before you knew what was going on? Good thing moist thieves are just that lazy.

 

[NightShade]

We generally issue the payment through the bank rather than write a check. Otherwise we use a money order. Once you write a check to someone they can potentially have your account number forever. I deposit through my phone and destroy any checks I receive in a shredder that also gets junk mail tossed in to make it that much harder to piece something together but even then if you write a check to someone who does not shred or take precautions with your account number someone can potentially get ahold of it.

In today's age it's just plain and simple that there is someone out there who wants your money how ever little it may be and they will do most anything to get it.

I have a mailbox at an apartment complex and I don't trust it any more than any other mailbox. The back is a sheet of steel or aluminium that is held on with a couple pop rivets. It's got a great lock in the front though but that won't do much good with that back exposed the way it is.

 

[DeerAssassin]

Who the heck uses checks anymore. I've had the same book of checks for at least four years now. Only use them to pay the rent.

 

[tranger2]

They break into the stand alone mail boxes also. If you ever mail a check or sensitive items, always take it to the post office or to a box in a very public area where there is less of a chance for someone to steal it. EPIDEMIC! Seen lots of video lately of people not only driving by checking the boxes but will run up to the house and grab the mail from the box by the door. Takes 15 seconds.

 

[264killer]

I do . But i always drop bills off inside the post office

 

[XD-9Guy]

I have the good fortune of being very near a post office, between that and the PO collection box at the office none of our mail gets delivered via my home. And in our neighborhood we have mail slots not mail boxes, so no one fools with the mail once it is delivered unless they're willing to break & enter to get to it. Despite that I had to leave notice at my local PO to hold my parcels because we had one stolen from the front porch a few years ago. Some people are garbage.

If I were you I'd take a look at what sort of electronic banking options your bank or CU offers, we pay virtually everything electronically now, even payors that aren't set up for electronic payments can be paid, I just have to provide the details and the CU will cut them a paper check.

 

[FullAuto]

My parent's had a check stolen from their outgoing mail about 5 weeks ago and didn't notice it. My mom received a phone call a couple of weeks afterward asking about payment. She knew she had mailed the check and asked my dad to see if the check had cleared. When he checked the account, 5 checks had been passed through 5 different Wal-Marts in 5 different cities for a total of ~$3400. I guess the thieves had ordered new checks with their rounting and account number. The police had the amounts of the charges, went through Walmart's receipt records to get the time of checkout and then watched video. I guess they knew the people on the video because they had suspected them of similar stuff. It's a couple in Moore. My parent's live in Midwest City.

 

[Kid Glock]

The main reason I rent a PO box. Can be unhandy as opposed to home delivery but it's more secure with checks and CC info in the mail. Not to mention SS number.

 

[Boehlertaught]

I would get a new checking account. These punks have your address. Your checking account number. And if you have a home phone they have your phone number which is used a lot to identify you. All they need is to watch your mail box and get an unsolicited credit card application out of it. They can end up with a card in your name.

I would never mail anything from my home mail box. Take it to a USPS mail box.