Thieves target community mailbox in southeast Fresno, woman stops them
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Mail thieves targeted a community mailbox in southeast Fresno, the latest in many mailbox break-ins.
Tuesday morning, Ana (a homeowner in the area who did not want to share her last name) saw the thieves pull up to the mailbox. She shouted to them.
"As soon as he heard my voice he grabbed the last bunch, threw it in my car and took off as quick as he could," said Ana.
She was thinking about her own mail but also her neighbors, like Delia Montana.
"Identity theft is the main concern," said Montana. "Credit card statements, mortgage bills, just a lot of personal information."
The thief somehow picked the lock. He did not pry the doors open, there was no sign of any damage to the box.
"That may mean they have a counterfeit postal key. If that's the case, the mere possession of a real or counterfeit postal key is a federal felony, just as it's a federal felony to steal mail," said USPS Postal Inspector Jeff Fitch.
Once the thieves drove off, Ana called police.
The non-emergency dispatcher told her to report it to the post office, which she did.
The Postal Inspector's office says this case is being investigated, but neighbors are worried about potential break-ins they didn't discover.
"I think it happened before, I would not be surprised if it happened before and maybe we didn't know, thinking maybe we didn't get any mail for the day and that's it," said Ana.
She says she would like to see more done to protect cluster mailboxes, including increasing signage on the box, which could make reporting mail theft easier.
"It's not just one person he's hitting like a porch pirate, one package. They're hitting multiple victims within minutes," said Ana.
To avoid having your mail stolen, Fitch said you should take your mail to the post office, and if you're going to use a blue drop-off box -- pay attention to the collection times.
Try dropping your mail in closer to the pickup time.
USPS also suggests signing up for "Informed Delivery" which sends emails of what you can expect to find in your mailbox every day.
To report mail theft or tampering with a mailbox online click here, or you can call the 24-hour line at 877-876-2455.
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