St. Albert RCMP investigate mailbox break-ins
Posted January 28, 2019 4:46 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ST. ALBERT (660 NEWS) – St. Albert RCMP are looking to the public for information following 9 reports of mailbox break-ins over the course of the last month.
The earliest break-in was recorded on Dec. 24, with the most recent occurring on Jan. 27.
In some cases, the locks on the mailboxes were broken, while others have found the doors hanging open.
It isn’t known how much mail if any, is missing but RCMP are advising people to be more cautious with their mail in the meantime.
Some tips to help prevent mail theft:
1. Never send cash or gift cards in the mail, as they are next to impossible to reclaim and are particularly sought after by criminals.
2. Make a daily routine out of collecting your mail even if you aren’t necessarily expecting something. The more time you leave your mailbox full, the longer a criminal has to snatch it.
3. Pre-approved credit card applications are often used for identity theft. Go through your junk mail daily and shred any pre-approved credit card applications that you are not interested in.
4. Deposit mail close to the scheduled pickup time posted on the mailbox. This leaves less time for mail to go missing before a Canada Post employee can pick it up.
5. Items containing sensitive/financial or business information, as well as large quantities of mail, should be deposited at a local post office. This reduces the amount of mail that can be stolen from the Community Mailboxes.
6. If you receive mail that’s not yours, please don’t leave it in an unprotected area. If the mail has been delivered incorrectly, please write, “delivered to wrong address” on the front of the envelope. If addressed to someone not living at your address, write “not at this address.” In either case, deposit the mail into a street letterbox or the outgoing mail slot of a Community Mailbox close to the scheduled pickup time.
7. Hold mail service for travellers – Canada Post’s Hold Mail service can help those who are planning to travel during the holidays. Mail will be held for a minimum of 2 weeks for a fee.
Anyone with information on any of the mail break-ins is being asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
