A postal carrier at a San Jose apartment building was recently stolen of his master key, according to the residents. Many of their mails, they now claim, are gone.
The San Jose Meridian Apartments was the scene of the heist. The burglar, according to Pauline Suarez, just cashed one of her checks.
“The person signed my husband’s name and then pay to the order of and then his name,” she continues.
She also fears that they will become targets once more.
We become exposed as a result. We have to always monitor our mail,” explains Suarez.
They’re not by themselves. According to authorities, since the pandemic, mail theft at communal mailboxes has increased by almost 87%. They’re stepping it up now.
According to U.S. Postal Inspector Jeff Fitch, “we’re so concerned about the safety of the letter carriers as well as the protection of the mail.”
Investigators in Santa Clara busted a mail stealing ring just last month, leading to the arrest of twelve people. The postal service is being pressured by Congressman Jimmy Panetta to switch to electronic locks.
According to security experts, you should take the following precautions to stay safe:
“Go pick up everything that you can pick up and don’t need delivered. The CEO of VP Security, Armando Gomez, advises sending anything that can be addressed to a PO Box.
This kind of offense carries severe consequences, including up to 10 years in federal prison. Furthermore, information leading to an arrest and conviction may earn prizes of up to $150,000.
The residents want the thefts to end.
“You rely on the mail and you rely on the United States Post Office.” It is not meant to happen that individuals are trespassing into your mail and attacking postal employees. This is crime, after all,” remarks local Jennifer Jones.
According to the authorities, who take these kinds of crimes very seriously, anyone who believes they may have had mail taken should get in touch with the postal inspectors and police.