How to Prevent Mail Theft from Residential Mailboxes
Mail theft is a problem vexing every neighborhood with Residential Mailboxes and many times, homeowners aren’t even aware it is occurring. Sadly, mail theft is a crime that is difficult to detect and the theft of personal checks from residential mailboxes across the United States has become a serious problem.
Mail Theft Case Study
Consider the plight of residents in Ellsworth, Maine over the past holiday season. Like most homeowners, they used their residential mailboxes for both incoming and outgoing mail; paying bills and receiving typical checks like holiday gifts, tax refunds, and small business income.
Yet, over a two-month period, thieves would simply open the curbside or wall mount mailbox, sort through the mail like most residents would normally do, remove the checks, and put the homeowner’s junk mail back in their residential mailboxes. The homeowner simply had no idea that their unlocked residential mailboxes were easy targets for thieves. In Ellsworth, nearly two months went by before the pattern of check theft from residential mailboxes was uncovered.
How Mail Theft of Checks Work
Detective Smith stated the thieves simply removed the checks from the residential mailboxes, altered the amounts written, and presented them for payment utilizing the now popular electronic readers that transfer the money from the checking account for payment. Then, the thief simply waits a day or two to return the item purchased for a cash refund. Detective Smith noted this method of stealing the check from the residential mailboxes and presenting it for payment in this manner is like using an ATM card without having to produce the personal identification code.
Even more frustrating for these residential mailbox owners is that some of the victims didn’t realize their checks had been stolen until they received late payment notices in the mail. “And then your bill’s not paid either,” added Detective Smith.
How to Prevent Mail Theft
Thankfully, preventing mail theft is a simple matter, especially for those who are considering replacing their residential mailboxes. What is the solution for mail theft? The easiest solution is to purchase residential mailboxes with locking features.
Locking Residential Mailboxes are available in all four mounting styles:
- Locking post mount mailboxes
- Locking wall mount mailboxes
- Recessed locking mailboxes
- Column mount locking mailboxes
Over 65 different varieties of locking residential mailboxes, representing the best locking features in the marketplace, are available right now at the nation’s leading Residential Mailbox Company, The MailboxWorks.
Mail Vaults
And for homeowners who want to avoid adding another key to their keyring, The MailboxWorks line of locking residential mailboxes includes the state of the art Mail Vault Electronic Locking mailbox and post. The Mail Vault features a mail slot mounted above the mailbox and an electronic keypad hidden by a typical mailbox door that ensures only those with the proper code can open the secondary door to retrieve the mail. A mechanical lock is also provided should the electronic door fail for any reason.
Locking Mailbox Inserts
And for those who are not replacing their residential mailbox but simply want to upgrade their non-locking mailbox with a locking feature; The MailboxWorks also carries a special locking mailbox insert that’s designed to fit inside typical post mount residential mailboxes.
Regardless of which of the locking residential mailboxes is selected, the simple fact is that a locked mailbox deters mail theft and thieves will simply move on to easier, unprotected mailboxes.
Categorized in: Locking Mailboxes
