>Protect Yourself from Mail Theft

Mail theft can happen quickly: the thief walks up to your mailbox, opens the lid, and helps him- or herself to whatever is inside. Community or super mailboxes take a little more work, but with the right tools, brute force, or an insider's key, they can be (and are) broken into.

Credit card or bank statements, mail from the government or an employer, even personal correspondence can contain all the information needed to steal your identity, break into your financial accounts or open a new credit card in your name.

It happens far too often. These are just five events reported during July 2010:

  • A mail theft ring in Edmonton is busted; nine arrested for 90 counts of identity theft and fraud (CTV Edmonton, July 29)
  • A cleaner at a Canada Post outlet pleads guilty to stealing mail (Toronto Sun, July 13)
  • Police in Waterloo, ON warn residents of a rash of mail theft (Waterloo Record, July 22)
  • A community mailbox in Surrey, BC is destroyed (Surrey Now, July 26) Canada Post does not immediately inform affected citizens
  • A Toronto man is charged for stealing Metropasses from the mail (Toronto Sun, July 16)

Be proactive! Protect yourself from mail theft:

  • Know when your monthly bills are due. If they don't arrive, call the issuing company
  • Even better, switch to electronic bills delivered via email
  • Get a lock for your mailbox or consider renting a post office box
  • If you use a community mailbox, keep an eye out for signs of tampering
  • Ask Canada Post to hold your mail while you're away
  • Retrieve your mail as soon as possible

There's more:

Sign up for Protection Power's proactive identity monitoring, which can help you identify the misuse of your cards, identification or banking information. Don't delay!

 

GET STARTED NOW!