Protect Against Mail Theft

Friday, December 4, 2015 at 12:00 AM

From the LaPlata Co. Sheriff's Office: As we enter the Holiday season, La Plata County Sheriff’s Office is warning area residents to take steps to protect themselves from theft from their mailboxes.

To thieves, your mailbox is an open invitation to steal checks, cash, gifts, and other items you may be sending or receiving through the mail. LPCSO Public Information Officer Dan Bender said there is a surge in mail thefts every year during the 2 to 3 weeks leading up to Christmas. That surge has not yet begun, Bender said. “We are encouraging people to close the barn door now before the horses get out, or the Grinches begin stealing your Christmas.” While mail theft and identity theft are problems at all times, The Sheriff’s Office sees surges just before Christmas and during March/April when income tax refunds are sent by mail.

While mail theft occurs anyplace a mail box is unattended along the road, Bender said the most popular targets are rural areas where mailboxes are in clusters, or in rows of key locked mailboxes in subdivisions. These clusters allow thieves to hit dozens of mailboxes in one stop. Just a few examples of where thefts have happened in the past: Rafter-J; CR 203, CR214/Rainbow Road; CR 222; CR 310; Vallecito; rural subdivisions near Ignacio. In some cases, the entire bank of boxes have been ripped out of ground by use of a chain around the base and dragged off by a vehicle to be ransacked at more secluded location.

You can reduce the chance of becoming a victim of mailbox theft, by following these steps:

Do not put outgoing mail, especially checks and other mail with personal account information in your mail box. Drop it in secure US Postal Service boxes.
If you have no choice but to put outgoing mail in your personal mail box, put it in as close to the time your mail carrier makes pick-ups as possible.
Never leave mail in your mail box overnight.
Remove incoming mail as soon as possible after drop offs. Mail thieves can strike in broad daylight as well as at night, following behind the mail carrier.

“If you have any information regarding crimes or persons involved in crimes in Durango or La Plata County, you are urged to call CrimeStoppers 24 hours a day at (970) 247-1112, or text “TIPSTER” (274637). You do not need to give your name, and you may be eligible for a substantial cash reward; or log onto www.DurangoLaPlataCrimeStoppers.org .“

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