Whether you’re sending holiday gift cards, gifts, or just mailing your monthly rent check, you might want to avoid using those large blue collection boxes — at least for the next couple of months. The U.S. Postal Service warns that not only have reports of mail fraud and theft been on the rise year-round, the crimes tend to peak during the holiday season — and those blue mailboxes are becoming more frequent targets. A USPS investigation indicates that groups of criminals across the country are using the Internet and social media to coordinate strategic targeting of post office collection boxes. If you do opt to use the blue collection boxes, be sure to do so before the last collection of the day so your mail isn’t sitting there overnight — this is especially true on Saturdays. One of the best ways to protect your mail is to take it into a local post office, or hand it directly to your postal carrier. The USPS also warns to NEVER, EVER send cash in the mail. If it’s stolen, it’s gone forever. If you expect to receive something valuable in the mail, ask the sender to send it with a signature required and to opt to pay the nominal insurance fee. You can also sign up for Informed Delivery, so you know when your mail is arriving.
