The United States Postal Service (USPS) and the Postal Inspection Service announced expanded measures to protect postal employees, mail security, and attack mail fraud incidents that have intensified with the national rise in crime.
“As crime increases, so do threats against our public servants,” said Postmaster General and CEO Louis DeJoy. “The men and women of the Postal Service walk the streets of our nation every day to fulfill our mission of delivering mail and packages to the American people. All Postal employees deserve to work safely and be free from attack by criminals looking to access the public’s mail.”
In a statement, the USPS detailed that incidents of mail carrier robberies are increasing across the country. In fiscal year 2022, 412 USPS mail carriers were mugged on the job, with 305 incidents reported in the first half of fiscal year 23. While there was an increase in incidents of high-volume mail theft from mail receptacles, including blue collection boxes, with 38,500 in FY22 and more than 25,000 in the first half of FY23.
Actions being taken to provide greater security include:
· The installation of 12,000 High Security Blue Collection Boxes nationwide. These are stronger, making it harder for criminals to access your content, and they are being deployed in high-risk areas.
· Implementation of 49,000 electronic locks to replace outdated arrow locks, which criminals used to steal mail from receptacles and commit financial crimes, including check tampering to commit check fraud.
· Steps are being taken to address change of address (COA) transactions, which are motivated by obtaining identity theft, where the fraudster intercepts mail, credit cards or checks for financial purposes. The Postal Service is strengthening authentication processes, relying on electronic formats and requesting hard copies from people.
Users searching for a COA will now receive a validation letter at their old address and an activation letter at their new address. As an added security measure, the Postal Service will no longer accept change-of-address shipments from third parties.
· Counterfeit postage or the use of false stamps will also be challenged. The institution will fully exercise new powers to take possession and dispose of packages identified as fraudulent. The measures include screening shipments at Postal Service docks and during outreach visits to warehouses. Websites and e-commerce accounts selling counterfeit postage will also be shut down.
Protection measures that users can carry out:
· Don’t let incoming or outgoing mail stay in your mailbox. You can significantly reduce the chance of being a victim simply by removing your mail from your mailbox every day.
· Deposit outgoing mail in a variety of secure ways, including inside your local post office or workplace or by delivering it to a mail carrier.
· Sign up for Informed Delivery and receive daily digest emails that preview your mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon.
· Get involved and get involved in your neighborhood through neighborhood watches and local social media groups to spread the word and share information.
· Keep an eye out for your postman. If you see something that looks suspicious or see someone following your operator, call 911.
· If your mail is stolen, report it immediately at www.uspis.gov/report or by calling 877-876-2455.
· Report acts of misconduct by Postal Service employees at 1-888-877-7644 or www.uspsoig.gov.
Keep reading:
· Hispanics robbed USPS mailbox in search of checks: red-handed arrest in New York
· USPS mailman delivered cocaine to a woman: both arrested in New York
· USPS alerts increase in theft of checks from mailboxes; thieves take advantage of the night to do their misdeeds