ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Look twice before dropping off your next letter at a drive-through mailbox. The Postal Service said they are getting reports of grinches attempting to steal mail.
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Slyvia Stearnes is warning others after she says she saw a mailbox at the post office off San Antonio Dr. overflowing with envelopes last Wednesday. “I became concerned about the mail theft,” said Stearnes. “It was just bulging out with a bunch of envelopes.”
Stearnes believes a sticky substance may have been used to keep letters from going into the box, allowing someone else to take them later in a method known as “fishing”. “I honestly was just horrified,” said Stearnes.
The United States Postal Service confirms it received reports of possible criminal activity at the post office off of San Antonio Dr. in the northeast heights. They said attempted fishing is an ongoing problem but success rates are low. They say there are measures inside the mailboxes that work.
“So, our mailboxes in recent years, we have gone to higher security box that has various functions in them to stop this kind of behavior from being successful,” said Liz Davis, Postal Inspector and Public Information Officer for USPS.
Davis said about two years ago, USPS upgraded or replaced all the post office mailboxes in Albuquerque. Without divulging details, she said the boxes have security measures on the inside that make fishing more difficult.
“It’s likely that it’s the same amount of attempts, but the actual getting anything out of it has gone drastically down due to the new security on the boxes,” said Davis.
USPS recommends dropping off mail before the collection time to avoid any mail sitting in the mailbox overnight. They also suggest physically bringing mail into the building if there is anything sticky or out of place on a collection box.
“For me, I’m safe, you know, and I don’t risk it. But I wanted my fellow Albuquerqueans to know that this is going on and it’s dangerous and to be aware and to be careful,” said Stearnes.
If anyone notices any glue-like substance on a mailbox, USPS urges them to notify their local post office. If you believe your mail may have been stolen, they encourage you to file a report on their website.
