How to Prevent Mail Theft: Top 10 Effective Ways
Mail theft is extremely rampant — over 1,400 mail thefts were investigated nationwide and 2,355 thieves were arrested in 2015.
In order to help you prevent mail theft, we have provided the below easiest and most effective ways.
#1. Top Ways to Prevent Mailbox Theft
#2. What to Do If Your Mailbox Is Stolen
#1. How to Stop Mail Theft: Top Ways
All of the ways below have been tested out by our security experts. All of them are extremely useful!
You can also share your excellent ways on preventing mail theft with us, and we will feature your insights here!
Top 10 Ways to Truly Stop Mail Theft:
Way 1. Redirect Your Mail to Your Office
Way 2. Use Electric Invoice Version
Way 3. Invest in a Vide Doorbell or Camera
Way 4. Lock up Your Mailbox Firmly
Way 5. Try an Alarm Siren System
Way 6. Get a PO Box for Mail Delivery
Way 7. Sign up USPS Informed Delivery
Way 8. Collect Your Mails on Time
Way 9. Make Your House Look Occupied
Way 10. Get a Dog to Watch over Mailbox
Way 1. Have All Mails Redirected to Your Workplace, or Friends/Parents’ Home
If you want to stop mailbox theft at your home, the easiest way is making your mails inaccessible.
You can let the delivery men send your mails to your office, so that you can pick your important invoices or other mails during your lunch break.
Another option is giving your parents or close friends’ address so that the delivery men can deliver your important document to your family or friends while you are not at home.
Way 2. Change Your Invoices or Files into Electric Version
My mail keeps getting stolen from my porch, what should I do to stop it?
You can request the issuing bank, landlord or insurance company stuff to send you the invoices or billing files via email or electric versions.
Thus, you don’t need to worry about that your neighbor, postman or anyone would steal the important document from your mailbox.
Electric invoices or files are a cost-effective and eco-friendly way to send billing document or other files, and it can stop trespassers from stealing your mails.
If some of the files cannot be sent via email, such as contracts, you can try the below ways to prevent mail or package theft.
Way 3. Install a Video Doorbell or Security Camera to Stop Mailbox Theft
how to catch someone stealing your mail? I suspect my neighbor is stealing my mail, what can I do?
You can opt to a video doorbell or a security camera to catch mail thieves in the act.
Both video doorbells and security cameras are effective in recording motion-triggered videos when someone is stealing from your mailbox.
Not only will this prevent and deter mail thieves but it will also prevent and deter people that shouldn’t be there and burglars as well.
After putting up a video door or a security camera on your front door or porch, you can put up a sticker near your mailbox, stating that this property is under 24/7 surveillance.
The fear of being caught in the act can deter quite a number of mail thieves, intruders and burglars. It’s also a truly effective way to prevent package theft.
Way 4. Lock Your Mailbox to Prevent Mail Theft
How to deal with neighbor stealing mails? Someone is stealing post from my mailbox, any ideas on how I can stop them?
You can buy a smart padlock to lock up your mailbox firmly, and only leave a gap that is big enough to enable the delivery man to put the letters into the box.
You can also stiffen the mailbox door with a steel rod to make it hard to open with bare hands. There’s no way to get high security on something that can be emptied with a bit of effort from the outside through the letterbox.
Way 5. Buy an Alarm Siren to Scare off Mailbox Thieves
You can attach an alarm siren on your mailbox.
If someone tries to pry the door of the mailbox, the siren will be triggered and will give off an extremely loud voice, which can scare off those coward mailbox “visitors”.
The loud voice would also attract your neighbors’ attention. They will go to check who and what triggered the alarm and help you get those mail thieves away from your mailbox.
Way 6. Get a PO Box to Stop Someone Stealing Your Mails
My mail keeps getting stolen from my porch, what should I do to stop?
One of the most effective ways is getting a PO Box, but you’ll need to pay for that.
Usually, you’ll need to pay around $12 for six months in the US. Compared with your important files or invoices, $20 or $30 per year is really worth it.
You can go to your local post office to sign up for a PO Box. After that, all of your mails will be delivered to the PO Box, keeping those mail thieves out of your home!
Recently, USPS has made the PO Box sign-up easier. You can now reserve the PO Box online and pay online via our credit card.
You can reserve your PO Box to stop mail theft with the below simple steps:
Step 1. Pick your PO Box location. You can reserve a new PO Box here>>
Step 2. Select a suitable size of your PO Box.
USPS provides 5 size options for you:
Size 1 — XS can hold 10—15 letters or 2 rolled magazines.
Size 2 — S can hold 10—15 letters or 5 rolled magazines.
Size 3— M can hold large envelops and magazines to be stacked flat.
Size 4 — L can hold 2 shoe boxes and 10—15 letters.
Size 5 — XL can hold multiple flat rate boxes and parcels.
Step 3. Enter your contact and billing information to reserve your PO box.
Step 4. Select Manage Account and sign in with your USPS credentials. Find your PO Box on the page and select Setup AutoRenew.
Step 5. You can change your payment period and enroll in Automatic Renewal.
Step 6. Select Link and sign in with your USPS credentials. Enter your POX Box number, ZIP code and your last name/business name.
Step 7. Confirm your PO Box details and submit.
Now you can manage your PO Box online easily!
Way 7. Sign up Informed USPS Delivery
USPS Informed Delivery is a free and optional notification service that gives you the ability to digitally preview your letter-sized mails and manage your packages scheduled to arrive soon.
This service makes it mail delivery more convenient and secure by allowing you to view that’s coming t your mailbox wherever you are with your PC, tablet or smartphone.
You can take action before important invoices or files reach your mailbox. Thus, those awful mailbox thieves have NO any chance to reach your letters.
Way 8. Collect Your Mails ASAP
If you have received a notification from USPS or UPS that your letters will reach your mailbox today, collect them all after you have arrived home.
Don’t leave your mails stay in the box overnight or even longer.
The longer time you leave your mails in the box, the higher chance that your letters will get stolen.
Way 9. Make Your Home Look Like Occupied
Mail thieves like empty house, since they can act without being noticed.
That’s why you’ll need to “make up” your home to make it look like occupied.
You can cancel the monthly magazine or newspaper subscriptions and opt to online versions to reduce the mail delivery.
Try to make your mailbox look attended.
You can also ask your friends or neighbors to check on your mailbox on your doorstep or driveway regularly to state that your mailbox is under control.
Way 10. Get a Dog to Watch over Your Mailbox
Mailbox thieves hate attention, so they don’t like house with dogs.
You can get a barking do inside your house to scare off the thieves.
When someone approaches your mailbox where it’s located in front of your front door or doorstep, your dog can hear the voice and bark immediately to let you know someone is approaching.
You can go out to check what’s happening and prevent mail theft before it happens.
Even you won’t be at home at that moment, the loud barking voice of your furry friend can still help you stop mail theft effectively.
#2. What to Do If Your Mail Has Been Stolen
what to do if someone is stealing your mail?
If your find that your mailbox was pried and your important files got stolen, take the below measures at once to get your files back and catch the bad guys as much as possible.
Step 1. Call the police to help you address the issue.
Mail theft is a crime. You can call 911 to let the policeman help you investigate the case.
Step 2. Contact USPS, UPS, FedEx or DHL.
Take USPS as an example. USPS will deal with mail vandalism. You’ll need to ask to file a complaint, and the USPS staff will help you track down the issue.
USPS hotline: 1-800-275-8777 or 1-800-ASK-USPS
You can also file a complaint report online in terms of mail vandalism.
