Prevent Doorstep Thieves This Holiday Season

Every year around the holidays, there is an increase in mail and packages ordered online and delivered to homes. This also can come with an increase in thefts when the packages are left unattended outside. Victims usually report the theft to their shippers so the police department may not know the extent of these theft, according to authorities.

Doorstep delivery can be a crime of opportunity. It could be someone following a delivery truck or it could be someone who happens to be in the area and sees a package delivered.

Police and federal postal inspectors across the country work hard to protect your mail. But with deliveries to more than 100 million addresses, they can't do the job alone.

Also read: 2017 Holiday Season: USPS Shipping Dates And Deadlines

Here's what postal inspectors recommend you do to protect your mail from thieves:

• Use the letter slots inside your Post Office for your mail, or hand it to a letter carrier.
• Pick up your mail promptly after delivery. Don’t leave it in your mailbox overnight. If you're expecting checks, credit cards, or other negotiable items, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up your mail.
• If you don't receive a check or other valuable mail you're expecting, contact the issuing agency immediately.
• If you change your address, immediately notify your Post Office and anyone with whom you do business via the mail.
• Don’t send cash in the mail.
• Tell your Post Office when you’ll be out of town, so they can hold your mail until you return.
• Report all suspected mail theft to a Postal Inspector.
• Consider starting a neighborhood watch program. By exchanging work and vacation schedules with trusted friends and neighbors, you can watch each other's mailboxes (as well as homes).
• Consult with your local Postmaster for the most up-to-date regulations on mailboxes, including the availability of locked centralized or curbside mailboxes.

If you see a mail thief at work, or if you believe your mail was stolen, call police immediately, then call Postal Inspectors at 877-876-2455 (press 3).

Photo credit: AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File