We all think once the post has been delivered to our letter box, then it is ours and safe. Not necessarily so! Especially with some externally mounted letterboxes where a thief can steal your identity by reading your mail.
Whether such boxes are used by people who do not want to be woken up by the “clang” of the letter box closing, or who may wish to prevent the dog destroying that precious junk mail, there is a security risk at play here.
There have been at least two recent instances in Burghwallis where mail has been stolen from externally mounted letter boxes. These may be a delight for the postie as they are generally more easily accessible than the conventional letterbox, but unfortunately they also be occasionally easily accessible by the light fingered thief.
What happens is that someone “steals” the mail, either by opening the box, or by manual dexterity in retrieving items already in the box. This then gives the thief details of names and addresses of residents, and, often, more personal data that can be found on correspondence – worst case scenario, someone steals your bank statement!
The felons then apply for credit cards, loans, bank accounts etc. in your name, and, then plan to also intercept this mail when it arrives. They could actually get their hands on the cards themselves, with PIN numbers, and YOU HAVE BEEN DONE!
Fortunately, one of our residents who was targeted in this way, ceased using the external post box, but still receives unsolicited credit cards and pin number notifications – ordered by the thief. Unfortunately, the relevant authorities will not take any action until a fraud has actually occurred, so –
It’s worth checking if your letterbox can be accessed by a light fingered thief ?
KEEP YOUR MAIL SAFE