Lawmakers Question Blue Box Security Following Reports of Rampant Fraud

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In a letter to the Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors Chairman Roman Martinez, a coalition of senators requested improvements in mail security. Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), Bob Casey (D-PA), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Pat Toomey (R-PA) have demanded answers regarding concerns over the security of mail inside USPS blue boxes following media coverage of a series of “washed check” thefts.

The letter describes a scheme known as the washed check fraud in which a thief accesses U.S. mail, finds a personal check, and then fraudulently reprints it with a large sum of money. The senators cited a 2020 report by the USPS’s Inspector General that identified the “universal keys” used to unlock various blue mailboxes as a security vulnerability. The letter suggests that a thief can use a stolen or copied universal key to open many boxes in a zip code.

“Reports that thieves are accessing USPS Blue Collection boxes to steal and then sort through mail to identify checks that they then use for personal gain are deeply troubling,” the senators wrote. “Americans use the Postal Service to mail checks to pay their taxes and bills; they should not have to worry that those checks may be stolen.”

The Senators requested answers to the following questions within the next 30 days:

• How does the USPS identify and investigate instances of stolen or lost universal keys? Are there any plans to improve these mechanisms?

• Are there any USPS methods to identify instances where keys are sold instead of lost or stolen? Has USPS identified instances when carriers sold these keys?

• How has USPS improved management controls over universal keys?

• What measures does USPS have to mitigate mail theft from USPS Blue Collection boxes?

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is responsible for investigating mail theft and has resources available to assist the public in preventing mail and package thefts.