New Steps to Tackle Crime Against U.S. Postal Service Workers, Mail Theft
The United States Postal Service (USPS) and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) launched a new effort to crack down on mail theft, fraud, and attacks against letter carriers and other postal workers.
Such crimes are on the rise. USPS says that halfway through Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, there were 305 reports of letter carrier robberies, compared with 412 such incidents in all of FY 2022.
Incidents of high-volume theft including theft from blue collection boxes, stand at 25,000 in the first half of FY 2023, compared to 38,500 in all of FY 2022.
With these rising incidents, USPS and the USPIS announced new measures to secure the mail and keep employees safe.
“We are hardening targets — both physical and digital — to make them less desirable to thieves and working with our law enforcement partners to bring perpetrators to justice,” said Postal Inspection Service Chief Gary Barksdale.
The new security plan focuses on three areas:
Reducing Letter Carrier Robberies and Mail Theft
USPS and USPIS are taking action to harden physical targets against criminal activity.
· Installing 12,000 high security blue collection boxes nationwide in high security risk areas.
· Replacing 49,000 antiquated arrow locks with electronic locks. Criminals target letter carriers for their arrow lock keys to get access to mailboxes.
Preventing Change of Address (COA) Fraud
USPS says the majority of COA fraud is motivated by identity theft.
· Implementing dual authentication identify verification services for online change of address transactions.
· Offering enhanced in-person change of address transactions.
· Postal Service customers seeking a change of address will receive a validation at their old address and receive an activation letter at their new address.
· USPS is no longer accepting third-party change of address submissions.
Defeating Counterfeit Postage
In FY 2022, officials seized more than 340,000 packages with counterfeit postage and more than 7.7 million counterfeit stamps. It cost USPS an estimated $7.8 million in lost revenue.
· The Postal Service will exercise new authority to take possession and dispose of packages identified with counterfeit postage.
· Shutting down websites and closing eCommerce accounts with counterfeit postage.
· Engaging with eCommerce companies to disrupt counterfeit activity.
· Collaboration with Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
· Promotion of the Inspection Service rewards program, which provides rewards for arrests and convictions involving postal fraud.
“The men and women of the Postal Service are walking our nation’s streets every day to fulfill our mission of delivering mail and packages to the American people. Every Postal employee deserves to work in safety and to be free from targeting by criminals seeking to access the public’s mail,” said Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Louis DeJoy.