Mail Theft Monday: 11/8/10

Suspected mail thief arrested in Live Oak
Santa Cruz Sentinel – 11/4/10

(LIVE OAK, CALIFORNIA) “A man who stole mail and ran from a sheriff’s deputy was arrested early Thursday in Live Oak, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

Ethan Benoit, a 21-year-old Hollister man, was arrested just after 12:10 a.m. Thursday on the 2300 block of Paul Minnie Avenue, sheriff’s deputies said.

A sheriff’s deputy on patrol noticed a man with a bulge in his sweatshirt looking into people’s cars, authorities said. When the deputy approached him, authorities said the man ran. After a brief foot chase, a deputy arrested him at a nearby elementary school, sheriff’s deputies said.

The man was found carrying mail from eight victims and a concealed, double-edged dagger, said Sheriff’s Deputy April Murray. He was on parole for an unspecified crime, authorities said, and arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property and possession of an illegal weapon.

Murray said residents should try to retrieve mail soon after it is delivered or install a locking device on their mailbox to prevent theft.”

COMMENTS: Mail theft is a very common method for criminals to obtain your information for identity theft. In your mailbox they can find credit card offers, account numbers, social security statements, courtesy checks and more. If you are a victim of identity theft, you may spend hundreds of hours to resolve the problem, and then there is the long term effect on your credit. The best defense is a high quality locking mailbox like the Mail Boss that keeps your mail safe until you retrieve it. It can’t be fished by hand or easily pried open with a screwdriver, so you don’t have to worry about criminals rifling through your mail. In addition, never send checks or other sensitive mail from an unsecured mailbox. Bring bill payments directly to the post office or use online bill pay. Finally, always shred sensitive documents (most of which come in your mailbox) before discarding them to thwart dumpster divers.

Police Warn About Mail Be Stolen In Las Cruces
KFOX 14 – 11/4/10

(LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO) “Las Cruces police are warning residents about paying their bills from a home mailbox.

They said in the past couple of weeks, detectives have taken a handful of fraud and forgery cases related to personal checks that appear to have been stolen from residential mailboxes, then washed, or bleached and cashed by the thieve for much higher amounts.

Detectives recommend mailing out bill payments in a secure collection box.”

COMMENTS: Never, ever send checks from an unsecured mailbox. Thieves prowl mailboxes with the red flag up looking for checks to steal for check fraud. By that same token, you should also use a high security locking mailbox to secure incoming mail, which thieves target for identity theft.

Fourth Minnesotan admits to ID theft: They used stolen mail to make false identification cards and fraudulent checks to steal cash in three states
Star Tribune – 11/4/10

(ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA) “A fourth Minnesotan has admitted his role in an identity theft scheme that netted the criminals up to $120,000 as they cashed bogus checks in three Upper Midwest states.

Christopher Englin, 28, of Detroit Lakes pleaded guilty on Wednesday in St. Paul to a count of bank fraud conspiracy, two counts of bank fraud, a count of identity theft and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

Englin has seven previous forgery convictions dating to 2003, according to state records.

The others pleaded guilty late last month: Melissa Mae Oquin, 33, of Minneapolis, Malinda Ann Shaw, 25, of Fergus Falls and Nadean Hope Rans, 36, of Shakopee.

State records show previous convictions for Oquin for forgery, mail theft, swindling and credit card fraud, Shaw for theft and Rans for forgery, theft and arson.

According to their plea agreements:

From September 2007 through April 2008, the four plotted to steal mail from 10 to 50 victims and use that information to make false identification cards and fraudulent checks. The fake documents were used to steal cash from banks and other businesses in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

Englin and Shaw admitted using laptop computers, printers, scanners, check stock paper and memory cards to produce the false ID cards and checks.

Shaw admitted renting a truck on Jan. 9, 2008, and driving from Fergus Falls to Minneapolis with personal property purchased with money from the scheme. That property was traded for illegal drugs and other items that were shared with her cohorts.

Overall, the operation cost the victims between $70,000 and $120,000, according to investigators. […]”

COMMENTS: These repeat criminals are making a ‘career’ out of stealing your mail and using the sensitive information they find for identity theft. So far they have been doing pretty well with it, netting over $120k in funds. That’s more than the great majority of US households earn in a whole year!

How do they get away with this? Well for one, Americans are making it easy for thieves by leaving their most personal sensitive information unlocked in their curbside mailbox for anyone to steal.

To prevent mail identity theft, use a high security locking mailbox like the Mail Boss that can’t be fished by hand or pried open with a screwdriver. The Mail Boss prevents thieves from stealing your mail, safeguarding your identity.

Suspected mail thief arrested in Live Oak
San Jose Mercury News – 11/4/10

(LIVE OAK, CALIFORNIA) “A man who stole mail and ran from a sheriff’s deputy was arrested early Thursday in Live Oak, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

Ethan Benoit, a 21-year-old Hollister man, was arrested just after 12:10 a.m. Thursday on the 2300 block of Paul Minnie Avenue, sheriff’s deputies said.

A sheriff’s deputy on patrol noticed a man with a bulge in his sweatshirt looking into people’s cars, authorities said. When the deputy approached him, authorities said the man ran. After a brief foot chase, a deputy arrested him at a nearby elementary school, sheriff’s deputies said.

The man was found carrying mail from eight victims and a concealed, double-edged dagger, said Sheriff’s Deputy April Murray. He was on parole for an unspecified crime, authorities said, and arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property and possession of an illegal weapon.

Murray said residents should try to retrieve mail soon after it is delivered or install a locking device on their mailbox to prevent theft.”

COMMENTS: Mail thieves have been prowling the San Jose area for years, but now they are everywhere all across the country. They target your mailbox to find sensitive information for identity theft… bank account statements, credit card offers, courtesy checks, even utility bills! To prevent mail-identity theft, a high security locking mailbox is a necessity!

There are several options available, but beware that many locking mailboxes are not truly secure- they can be easily violated with a screwdriver or even fished by hand in seconds. The Mail Boss is a high quality locking mailbox that can’t be fished by hand or easily pried open with a screwdriver. You can find it at your local Ace Hardware or True Value.

Investigators looking for thief who stole victim’s mail and went shopping
WCPO 9 – 11/3/10

Columbia Mail Thief(COLUMBUS, OHIO) “Investigators with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office need your help identifying a suspect who stole a person’s mail then used the money meant for bills to go shopping.

The victim had paid her bills and placed the envelopes in her mailbox for pickup on Mills Ave. in Norwood on Oct. 21.

Police say an unknown person stole the victim’s mail and used a check in one of the envelopes to purchase clothing and a gift card at the Burlington Coat Factory on Ridge Road in Columbia Twp.”

COMMENTS: Honestly, it’s time for people to realize that mail is a valuable commodity to identity thieves, and you need to be just as careful with it as you would be with your purse, wallet, car, etc. Criminals steal your mail to find checks, bank account statements, credit card offers and other sensitive information for identity theft. To stop mail theft, use a high security locking mailbox like the Mail Boss to secure incoming mail. Also, NEVER send bill payments or other sensitive mail from your mailbox. Bring bill payments directly to the post office (not a blue collection box) or better yet, use online bill pay. It’s more secure. Finally, shred all sensitive documents (most of which come in your mailbox) before discarding them to thwart dumpster divers. These simple steps will go along way in protecting yourself from the fastest growing crime in the nation – identity theft.

Police Beat
Lancaster Eagle-Gazette – 11/2/10

(PICKERINGTON, OHIO) “[…] A resident reported her mail was removed from her mailbox, torn up and left alongside the roadway in the 8,000 block of Winston Road in Pickerington this weekend.

The victim reported other neighbors in the area have experienced the same type of incident during the same time frame, according to the Fairfield County Sheriff’s report. The mail is thought to have been stolen between 6 p.m. Friday and midnight Saturday. […]”

COMMENTS: Mail theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the country. These victims were lucky to have discovered their mail torn up nearby, otherwise they may never have known their mail was stolen. Now, at least, they can put a credit alert on their accounts and be vigilant for suspicious activity. The best defense against mail identity theft is the high security Mail Boss locking security mailbox. It’s baseball bat proof and keeps your mail safe from would-be identity thieves with patented security features that prevent fishing by hand and leveraged entry.

2 arrested for stealing checks from mailbox
KABC 7 – 11/1/10

(RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA) “Two people were arrested in Riverside for stealing checks from a U.S. Postal Service mailbox near Riverside Plaza.

Two people were arrested in Riverside for stealing checks from a U.S. Postal Service mailbox near Riverside Plaza.

Riverside Police officers checked on a suspicious vehicle in a liquor store parking lot near 14th St. and Howard Ave. on Saturday. The officers discovered the driver is on active parole. Upon searching the car, officers found several stolen checks.

Officers determined there were two other people involved in the mail thefts. The checks had been stolen from a mailbox on Sunnyside Dr.

One suspect was arrested for committing mail thefts and possession of stolen property.

The driver was arrested for violating parole for involvement with the theft.”

COMMENTS: Never send checks or other sensitive mail from an unsecured mailbox. By that same token, you should not receive sensitive mail in an unsecured mailbox either. Use a high security locking mailbox like the Mail Boss to secure incoming mail, and always bring bill payments directly to the post office or use online bill pay to prevent mail-identity theft.

Police Blotter
Los Gatos Weekly Times – 11/1/10

(LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA) “Fraud–On Oct. 25 at 8:30 a.m. on Short Road. A resident whose outgoing mail was stolen last week told police that someone tried to cash checks that were enclosed with the stolen mail.”

COMMENTS: Never send checks or other sensitive mail from an unsecured mailbox. Some thieves are even targeting USPS blue collection boxes now, so it’s best to use online bill pay – it’s more secure. By that same token, you should not receive sensitive mail in an unsecured mailbox either. Use a high security locking mailbox like the Mail Boss to secure incoming mail. The Mail Boss is baseball bat proof, and can’t be fished by hand or easily pried open with a screwdriver.

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