Familiar neighborhood mailbox may have been replaced by a new, reinforced receptacle, with security features to prevent theft
By Marjorie Preston
People who still use snail-mail may have noticed a new type of mailbox in their neighborhood. Since May 2023, in cities and towns across the country, the U.S. Postal Service has been installing higher-security collection boxes to prevent mail theft.
The new-fangled boxes are part of Project Safe Delivery. The initiative was launched to not only protect the U.S. mail, but also safeguard postal employees, who are at increasing risk of robbery and even assault as they complete their appointed rounds.
Foiling ‘mail fishers’
Instead of old-style drop-handles, the new, improved mailboxes have narrow slots, just wide enough for an envelope or two. Inside, metal teeth hang along the length of the slots, to help foil would-be “mail fishers.”
In this practice, thieves attach strings or wires to glue-covered traps or other adhesive-covered devices. Then they lower them into the mailbox, often under cover of darkness, and pull out pieces of mail.
They’re looking for letters containing cash, gift cards, or checks. The checks can be “washed” and made payable, in higher amounts, to the thieves themselves or someone else. Mail fishers also may be on the lookout for documents including sensitive information, such as credit card or bank numbers.
Project Safe Delivery started in the Northeast, particularly in higher-mail crime areas. Phase 1 of the campaign called for the installation of 10,000 new boxes around the country. As of March, that inventory had increased to 15,000 boxes, with another 8,500 in the pipeline.
The USPS also is replacing old-style arrow locks with electronically activated locks. And some mailboxes are being relocated completely, for extra security. For instance, boxes that accept drive-by drop-offs are now likely to be found next to post offices, where they are under continuous video surveillance.
Ongoing effort
In a March statement, Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale said, “We are hardening targets—both physical and digital—to make (mailboxes) less desirable to thieves.”
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy added, “We’ve been unrelenting in our pursuit of criminals who target postal employees and the U.S. mail. …
We will continue to make major investments to secure the postal network.”
Greg Kliemisch, a postal inspector based in Newark, told Shore Local that installation of new boxes in this area “is currently in progress and will continue into fiscal year 2025, ending September 30, 2025.”
He added, “The Postal Inspection Service does not provide details about specific installation locations, or features, as this may mitigate the effectiveness of those efforts.”
Prevention, detection, prosecution
According to the USPS, 25,000 mail thefts occurred in the first half of 2023. Most of that mail was stolen from mailboxes.
But stepped-up detection efforts have begun to help. From mid-2023 to March, more than 1,200 people were arrested for mail theft and letter-carrier robberies. In the past five months, mail-theft complaints are down 34 percent, and robberies have dropped 19 percent.
However, according to the Associated Press, postal-carrier robberies have grown sixfold in the past 10 years, and the number of carriers held at gunpoint is also higher.
For that reason, the National Association of Letter Carriers supports legislation mandating stiffer penalties for those convicted of postal crimes.
Beware of scam alerts
Thieves are nothing if not inventive, and these days, they’re sending text messages, informing recipients that the Postal Service is having trouble delivering a package to their homes. This is always a scam. Do not reply, and don’t click on the accompanying link.
According to USPS spokesman Michael Martel, “The Postal Service never sends a text message unless you request text updates for a particular tracking number.” Those updates are sent only by request of you, the consumer, and refer only to one package. And the USPS does not send links via text.
Be aware, report crime
Consumer awareness helps. Here are some ways to ensure that your mail gets where it’s going, safely and without interruption:
Monitor your bank accounts, to ensure checks sent by mail have cleared and were deposited by the right recipient.
Put mail in your neighborhood mailbox as close as possible to the scheduled pickup time.
For extra protection, consider dropping outgoing mail at the local post office branch.
If you’re going out of town, have your mail held until your return. Letting mail or packages pile up in your mailbox or on the front porch is an invitation to opportunistic thieves.
Sign up for the USPS’s Informed Delivery system, at USPS.com. You’ll receive regular emails telling you what to expect in the next mail.
If you feel your mail has been stolen, file an online complaint with the Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov/report, or call 877-876-2455.
Finally, If you see suspicious activity around a mailbox, or notice someone following your carrier, call 911.
