Since mail theft is the fastest growing white collar crime in the U.S. today, citizens have new responsibilities. Many are purchasing locking mailboxes in order to deter mail thievesWhy Discourage Mail Theft?Mail theft is an easy crime to commit. It is not considered a violent crime. Mail thieves know that they can gain access to people’s personal information by stealing it from mailboxes. They also know that the age-old crime of theft is working for them. Few mail thieves are arrested and convicted. There is a complicated paper trail necessary to gather the evidence needed to get a conviction. They find cash in mailboxes. Cash is any information which they can use to get virtually free money. This does not necessarily mean that dollar bills are stolen from mailboxes.How, then, does mail theft pay off?Mailboxes contain personal items that thieves alter and use for their own purposes. Items th fullfast ey are looking for in delivered mail are replacement credit cards and debit cards. So many businesses do not even check to determine if the credit or debit card they are given in payment really belongs to the person using it. Other dangers in delivered mail include Social Security numbers, Driver’s Licenses and credit card offers containing checks with the addressee’s name and address printed on them. These items represent “cash” stolen from mailboxes.Secondly, outgoing mail placed in residential mailboxes contains the checks written for the payment of bills. These can be stolen, chemically washed and used by anyone at all. This is “cash” stolen from a mailbox.How To Discourage Mail TheftTake outgoing mail containing personal information to a locked drop box or to the post office. Never leave it in the mailbox.Get the postal service warning to mail thieves sticker and place it on the mailbox.