A spate of reported mail thefts hit Healdsburg earlier this month, resulting in 10 or more mail fraud reports filed with the Healdsburg Police. The incidents are similar, in that the implicated mail drop box is the one outside the Foss Creek Circle annex, on a semicircular driveway for easy drive-by access.
The first report indicates someone dropped their mail, which included checks, in the mailbox on May 25. That having been a Monday, it’s possible other reports might have involved mail dropped in over the weekend, though most of the fraud reports only say that the mail was stolen from the box, but which day or days is unknown.
The usual means of fraud was the suspect or suspects, as yet unidentified, took the checks from the mailbox, altered them (sometimes changing the name and/or the amount) and attempted to deposit or cash them in an ATM. Though in some cases a bank caught the attempted fraud and voided the check deposit, the suspects were successful with several. The amount lost by the reported fraud was over $42,000, though it may have been more.
The high number of reports on what may have been only one incident of mail theft occurred because the police department worked with the Postal Service to report all of the incidents, adding them to the “original incident report.”
“Each time a victim is identified/comes to report being victimized, a new incident is created, thus all the incidents listed,” responded Police Chief Matt Jenkins to press inquiry about the fraud reports. “Each of these incidents are tied to one case report (identified as the ‘original’ report).”
When the issue was posted to Facebook a few days ago, however, multiple respondents commented that they, too, were victimized recently or at a different time, as far back as January.
Jenkins suggested the incidents may be more widespread than just involving Healdsburg. “Yes, this is an active investigation that we are coordinating with other agencies, including the U.S. Postal Inspectors—the Postal Service law enforcement branch. Other agencies include those where other victims reside.”
At the suggestion of the local post office branch on Foss Creek Circle, we contacted Kristina Uppal of the U.S. Postal Service office in the Bay Area about the local mail thefts.
“The U.S. Postal Service takes the security of the mail very seriously. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) is the federal law enforcement arm of the Postal Service; they investigate reports of mail theft and mail-related fraud and work closely with local, state and federal law-enforcement partners,” responded Uppal.
She also said it was common for such mail theft and fraud to be reported to local law enforcement. “With respect to any specific incident reports or how they are consolidated by a local police department, those decisions are made by the investigating agencies. USPS and USPIS coordinate closely with those agencies as appropriate.”
Only one of four drop boxes remains at the Healdsburg post office on Foss Creek Circle, and it has a bent leg. It also sports several warning signs not to mail anything of importance in the box, but rather to do so inside the post office (though people continue to use the drop box regardless).
Uppal pushed back on the suggestion that the Postal Service is downgrading the use of drop boxes. “Blue collection boxes remain an important part of the Postal Service’s network,” she wrote. “There is no national program to eliminate collection boxes.”
She amplified that collection boxes are reviewed as to their “placement, usage and security,” and that the Postal Service is “continuing security modernization efforts, including deployment of high-security blue collection boxes and upgraded lock technology as part of Project Safe Delivery.”
Neither the Healdsburg Police nor the Postal Inspection Service would release any further details on any progress, if any, regarding their investigations.
Postal customers are encouraged to report any concerns of mail theft directly to the Postal Inspection Service at 877.876.2455 or at uspis.gov/report.
