Think someone stole your mail? Tips for mail fraud protection, prevention, reporting in WA

Karlee Van De Venter
·4 min read
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Ever had a piece of mail that just didn’t get delivered? Ever wondered if it was just lost, or worse, stolen?

The chances of theft might be higher than you think. If you think your mail was stolen, do something about it immediately. When it comes to mail fraud, it’s better safe than sorry, say officials.

Just this month in Tri-Cities, Levi Dennis was arrested on the suspicion of felony aggravated identity theft involving stolen mail in late 2022 and 2023. Court documents say that when officers searched the car he was known to drive, they found mail and checks from people all over the area.

The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) jumped in to investigate after a grandmother reported to the Kennewick Police Department unauthorized activity on her grandson’s account. Credit union security video reportedly showed Dennis making bank transactions at the same time as the unauthorized deposits and withdrawals, said investigators.

Levi Dennis, a suspect in a Tri-Cities mail theft case, was caught in a Kennewick credit union security video.
Levi Dennis, a suspect in a Tri-Cities mail theft case, was caught in a Kennewick credit union security video.

Mail is protected by federal law. When someone reports missing mail, it is investigated by federal postal officials.

In 2022, postal inspector investigations led to nearly 4,300 arrests and nearly 4,000 convictions involving mail theft, prohibited mail and crimes against postal employees. It seized assets worth over $402 million.

How can I protect my mail?

There are several methods to proactively keep your mail safer. They are not guaranteed deterrents, but will lessen the chance of mail theft.

▪ Post Office holds

Your local post office will hold your mail for up to 30 days. Just request your mail be held, and you can go in to pick it up. Just remember to stop by at least once a month or the mail won’t be held anymore.

You also can get a post office box, where mail will be sent straight to a delivery box at the post office.

You can request mail holds online, in person or over the phone by calling the local office.

Vaino Kola picks up his mail at the post office on Deer Isle, Maine. Many residents call the postal service essential to their communities, but the federal agency is in trouble.
Vaino Kola picks up his mail at the post office on Deer Isle, Maine. Many residents call the postal service essential to their communities, but the federal agency is in trouble.

▪ Decrease sensitive mail

Many organizations will offer email or other options for receiving important information. By requesting these options, you can decrease the amount of sensitive data that’s sitting around in your mailbox.

▪ Locked mailbox

Many hardware stores and superstores offer lock-secured mailboxes that you can replace your residential mailbox with. They come with a slot for postal workers to drop in mail, and require a key to retrieve any mail.

The downside to locked mailboxes is that it removes the ability to send mail from home, you’ll have to take any mail to the post office a dropbox or a postal counter at a grocery store or private mail center.

How can I catch mail theft?

To know if mail is missing, it’s important to know what mail you’re expecting. If an expected delivery hasn’t arrived, contact the carrier. If your carrier can’t explain the absence, you might consider contacting postal officials.

▪ Informed Delivery

In light of increased mail theft and identity fraud, the U.S. Postal Service has taken several steps. impact.

One is called Informed Delivery, a digital service you can sign up for to know what mail you should be expecting. Users get previews of mail a few days before delivery, so if it doesn’t show up it can be reported.

Standard, letter-sized mail is processed through an automated mail control system, which also tracks deliveries.

When a new piece of mail reaches the postal service, a greyscale photo is automatically taken of the mail to identify the letter. That gives you a heads up on what your mail should look like days before arrival.

Informed Delivery is free to anyone interested. There also is an app available for free download, where you can reschedule deliveries and more.

To create an account, you’ll have to verify your identity online or at your local post office.

The downside to the service is that it does not scan any larger mail, so packages should be tracked using other methods. Informed Delivery can only be used by individuals, not businesses at this time.

Distribution warehouse employee places a hand on a package ready for distribution.
Distribution warehouse employee places a hand on a package ready for distribution.

▪ Package tracking

Most delivery services like UPS, Amazon and FedEx offer package tracking options. Depending on the package and the carrier, you might be able to ask for increased security measures.

Amazon offers a Photo on Delivery option, like food delivery apps use. When your package is delivered, the Amazon driver will take a picture so you can see where they left it. It will also tell you the time of delivery.

UPS offers free delivery alerts for all packages. You can have it left at a neighbor’s home for no charge, but it is extra to change the address or delivery date.

FedEx also offers pictures at delivery. Packages can be signed for digitally using QR codes. To reroute a package, there’s an extra charge.

How can I report mail theft?

The best first course of action to take if you think you are a victim of mail theft is to report it to the U.S. Postal Service. You can file a complaint online or call 1-800-275-8777.