Last Wednesday, Alameda police officers arrested a burglary suspect with a stash of drug paraphernalia, burglary tools, and stolen mail packages addressed to more than 80 individuals in Alameda and Oakland.
[1]The arrest occurred at around 3 a.m. on February 25, according to an Alameda Police Department (APD) report [2] on Facebook. Officers were looking for the burglary suspect when they located the individual, who matched the suspect’s description and had an outstanding warrant for burglary. The officers discovered the stolen mail during the investigation and are currently in the process of notifying the victims, the APD report stated.
APD offers the following helpful tips to help reduce the risk of being victimized by mail theft:
- Collect your mail promptly after delivery.
- If you plan to be away, request a mail hold through the United States Postal Service (USPS).
- Sign up for USPS Informed Delivery [3] to digitally preview incoming mail.
- Avoid placing outgoing mail with checks in unsecured mailboxes.
- Report any suspicious behavior to APD right away.
If you believe your mail was stolen, monitor your financial accounts closely. Consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze with the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.